¦ " THE GERM OF THE CHURCH. 233 history of the world's redemption ! Others may bring the top-stone, amid the shoutings of triumph and the paeans of worldly applause ; but he who, with tears, and self-denial, and cross-bearings, laid the founda tion-stone, shall be a participator of the joy, and a sharer of the immortal honor. A vision of the Church of the future comes up before me. I see her robed in spotless purity, like a bride adorned for her husband. Grace and beauty are blended in her form. Her brow is mantled with intelligence ; her eye beams with the serene confi dence of undying faith ; her mouth is filled with arguments, and her lips touched with living fire. Her heart throbs with deep and broad sympathies for the whole race ; her feet are shod with the prepa ration of the Gospel of peace; the coronal upon her head flames with light and glory ; and, above all, God is in the midst of her — her light, her joy, and her strength. She is making her triumphal march among the nations. The young and the old come out to bid her welcome. Kings have become her nursing fa thers, and queens her nursing mothers ; the princes and nobles of the earth do her homage. Science lays its honors at her feet ; art and commerce become her ministering servants ; agriculture makes the earth bloom all along her pathway. She speaks, and the lightnings take up her message and carry it to the ends of the earth ; while the winds and the waves of the ocean are responsive to her call. Human hearts — crushed, bleeding, despairing, every-where — look up once more in hope, and hail her approach. Thou queen of beauty — daughter of the skies — bride 234 SERMONS. of the Lamb ! Church of the living God ! we hail thee, the precursor of the world's grand jubilee. In thy train shall be heard the triumphant acclamation, going up like the voice of many waters from every creature on earth and in heaven — " Halleluiah ! the Lord God omnipotent reigneth !" Thanks be to God ! From our Pisgah summit we may survey the whole land of promise ! Its length, and breadth, and beauty, break upon our unclouded vision ! Nor do we behold it as a land afar off, and into which we are forbidden, as was Moses, to enter. It is nigh at hand. The advance of the great army is crossing now. I look along the vast lines of the serried host — Sunday school banners are gleaming in the sunlight — every-where! Sunday school melodies break upon the ear, the precursor of certain and glorious triumph. When the rebels evacuated Rich mond, the power of the Confederacy was broken ; its hope perished. So when Satan relinquished his grasp upon the childhood of the race, the last hope of his dominion was destroyed. My friends, " Our God is marching on !" we shall yet go up and possess the whole land. Beloved Sunday school teachers ! God has brought us up to a sublime elevation, from which we may be hold, as our eye glances down through the ages, the coming triumphs of the Cross ! It has been my aim to give you just views of the dignity and grandeur of your work ; broader views of its scope and power, by showing that it is interblended with all the future of the Church. The very/ lineaments of character that Church shall wear, and the work it shall do, are, THE GERM OF THE CHURCH. 235 under God, to be shaped and fashioned by the Sun day school. I congratulate you upon the grandeur of your mission, and the magnitude of the results it infolds. May God raise up in all the Church officers and teachers equal to their responsibility and their work! I congratulate you upon so novel, and yet so grand an idea as a Convention in which all our Sun day schools in this great State may be represented ; and upon so noble a gathering of the intellect, and activity, and piety of the Church. May your coun cils be characterized by Christian and manly dignity ; may they be marked by harmony and earnest piety ! Here may you be able to devise wise and holy plans ; and to develop broad and comprehensive views. Here may the flame of devotion to your holy work be kindled anew in your own hearts ; that from this place you may carry the holy impulse into all the Sunday schools of the State. Then shall your Convention and your work form an era in the prog ress of Sunday schools, and be remembered with gratitude and thanksgiving in all coming time. If I might be the mouthpiece of the highest office in the Church, I would say, your mission is enthroned in the heart of the Church, and we bid you Godspeed in whatever can enlarge and ennoble it. Amen. 236 SERMONS. IX. THE PROBLEM OF LIFE. A FUNERAL DISCOURSE, PREACHED ON THE OCCASION OF THE DEATH OF THE HON. JUDGE M'LEAN, OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES, IN WESLEY CHAPEL, CINCINNATI, APRIL 23. 1861. " Wherefore hast thou made all men in vain ?" Psalm lxxxix, 47. FEW of my hearers who have read the history of the American Revolution will ever forget the touching incident connected with the burial of the gallant Gen. Fraser, of the British army. He was a member of Gen. Burgoyne's staff, and was mortally wounded by the American sharp-shooters, near Saratoga. When he was dying, he requested that he might be buried on the summit of the hill at the going down of the sun. Thither his brave comrades, in slow and long procession, carried him; and, though the enemy's shot — for the Americans were not apprised of the nature of the movement — were falling like hail-stones around them, there, with uncovered heads, reverently, they performed the last sad offices for the dead. Not amid the thunder of cannon, nor the sul phurous smoke of battle, are #ve called to the services of this hour ; but yet in the midst of startling devel- THE PROBLEM OF LIFE. 237 opments of treason and rebellion, which have filled the whole country with excitement the most pro found. But, if the warrior upon the battle-field will pause to render homage to the dead, though the leaden hail is falling thick and fast around him, it is fitting certainly, that we, here in this peaceful sanc tuary, devote an hour to the memory of one who has deserved well of his country by patriotic and emi nent service. My text for the occasion will be found in the eighty-ninth Psalm, and a part of the forty-seventh verse: "Wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?" The Hebrew melodies have ever been recognized as possessing a beauty unequaled by any uninspired compositions. Their elevation of thought and style, the boldness of their imagery, and the beauty of their diction captivate at once the intellect, the imagina tion, and the taste. But they also have a depth of sentiment, a strong, irresistible undercurrent of pathos, of feeling, that touches all the finer chords of sympathy in the heart, and subdues it to their will and purpose. Among all these melodies, none fall upon the ear or strike into the heart with such power as those poured forth when the calamities of the nation and the woes of the people lent inspiration to the bard. Nothing can be more touching than the lamentation of the captive tribes as they sat down by the rivers of Babylon and wept — "hanging their harps upon the willows in the midst thereof." How strangely aggravated their sorrows, when they who had carried them away captive required of them a song, and 238 SERMONS. those that wasted them required of them mirth ! No wonder that they exclaimed, " How can we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?" and yet, strangely enough, like as the bruised flower sends forth the sweetest odor, there gushed from their bruised hearts, even while refusing to sing, a refrain, whose sur passing melody has thrilled the hearts of men in all ages. In the land of their captivity, they thought upon their native home, its vine-clad hills, once teeming with joy and plenty, but now wasted and desolate. They thought of the city of David, their much-loved Jerusalem ; of the Temple with its mysterious and solemn shekinah, the celestial fire that burned upon its altar. They thought of those peculiar and provi dential mercies, by which, as a nation, they had been distinguished above all other nations, and which had led even a heathen idolater to exclaim, " How goodly are thy tents, O Jerusalem, and thy tabernacles, O Israel !" But now, how changed the scene ! Judah was laid waste and desolate ; crushed and fallen were the walls and goodly palaces of the holy city; and even the Temple itself was desecrated by the tread of unhallowed feet. Their princes and nobles had been destroyed. The last of their kings had been subjected to cruelties the most diabolical, and the line of David, in which all the promises of God and the hopes of his people centered, seemed to have become extinct. Their national glory, in which they had so long prided themselves, seemed to have gone out in a night of blackness, upon which, as yet, no star of hope had been seen in the sky. THE PROBLEM OF LIFE. 239 Such were the circumstances under which this psalm was indited. No wonder that, under the pressure of misfortune, of blasted hopes, and of untold woes such as these, the bard of Israel, with crushed and aching heart, despairing in his agony, every thing around him gloomy, dark, hopeless, should be brought to feel, for the moment at least, that life itself was illusory, and that he should cry out, " Wherefore hast thou made all men in vain ?" But this question is not alone with the Psalmist. It often will spring up in the deep undercurrent of feeling excited by a survey of the brevity and uncer tainty of human life. Never do we feel its power more than when we stand in the presence of the dead. Death has ever been felt to be one of the solemn mysteries of life — an enigma, that, to the mere natural reason, renders the great problem of life difficult of solution. Look at man. He enters upon life helpless and dependent ; he increases in stature and strength ; he acquires knowledge and power ; but when he has just reached a point at which it would seem that all his faculties are to receive a freer play, and his influ ence to enter upon a wider field; when he has just reached the acme of his usefulness ; when the world has just come to recognize his virtues, and listen reverently to the lessons of experience and wisdom imparted by him, death enters upon the scene. It breaks in upon the plans of life; it overclouds all its prospects, and destroys all its hopes. As the scene closes, as the heavy clods fall upon the coffin, and the grave hides from the eye the manly form, 240 SERMONS. leaving it to molder into dust and perish away, we start back; we almost involuntarily exclaim, "Is this all?" We can not restrain the inquiry — it gushes spontaneously from the heart — " Is there to be no future ; are there no other ends to be accomplished in human life than those which relate to man's pres ent troubled, uncertain, and brief existence ?" If so, with the Psalmist we may well exclaim, "Wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?" This, my friends, as fitting to the occasion and the solemn objects for which we are assembled, sug gests the great problem of life for our solution. I. Let us soberly and earnestly survey this prob lem. Let us not shrink from even a strong pres entation of the facts which seem to give to life an enigmatical character, and raise the question whether it has been given for any wise or adequate ends. Man is endowed with a body of marvelous work manship. How wonderfully are its joints articulated and adapted to use ; how flexible and yet how strong his muscles; how fine and delicate the net-work of nerve that pervades the system, and with what ex quisite sensibility does it endow the whole; how wonderful the organs of sense, those loop-holes through which the soul holds communion with the external world ! What shall we say of all this ? Has life no higher purpose than the development of this bodily organism? Why, then, such exquisite work manship for so ignoble an end? Why are all the various and curious parts of the machinery brought together arid blended with such nice precision, if the whole fabric must so soon be demolished and laid THE PROBLEM OF LIFE. 24 1 aside with so little consideration? What response to these inquiries can that reason which ignores Revelation and man's higher destiny make ? None — absolutely none! But when we come to look upon this body as the casket in which is enshrined an immortal nature, whose growth and development it is designed to promote ; and still further, when we come to look upon it as symbolizing to mortal man the glorious resurrection body, we are compelled to feel that dt possesses no refinement, nor beauty, nor perfection which is not warranted by the mission given it to fulfill. Man is also endowed with sensibilities of exquisite delicacy and tenderness. They link him in fond affection to the loved circle of home, of kindred, and friends. What yearning for the presence of loved ones and for intercourse with them; what painful ap prehensions awakened by their absence, and what an instinctive craving of our nature that these tender, glorious affections may not die ! How mysterious, then, that just when they are ripening in their strength and expanding in their beauty, Death lays upon them his icy hand, and their warm pulsations cease forever ! If this is all, if there is no future state, the purity of whose love is but faintly typified by the purest and most ennobling affection of earth ; no future state, in which these exalted affections are to receive their full development, and to be studded with the coronal of immortality, the endowment of the human race with them, and the high expectations they awaken, seem to be but cold, chilling mockery. To the same conclusions are we forced, if we 21 242 SERMONS. consider the intellectual nature of man. To the progressive capacity of that intellect no boundaries of limitation have been set. So also the universe of God, which is to be the grand theater of its activity, and which is so wonderfully adapted to call forth that activity, is equally limitless. But here is the enigma of reason. Just as the intellect begins to develop its energies — just as it enters upon the ex ploration of the works of the Creator — death comes and closes the scene. Now, if there is no future state in which those faculties may expand to their full maturity ; if the vast ocean of truth is never to be surveyed ; if the unfathomed mines of knowledge are never to be explored, why has God endowed man with such transcendent powers and spread before him such a glorious field for their exercise ? why, if he is to be cut down, nipped and blighted, in the first dawn of his being? Under such circumstances, who can wonder if, unable to solve the great prob lem of life, the soul turns despairingly to God and cries out, "Wherefore hast thou made all men in vain ?" But, thanks be to God ! a brighter light than the faint glimmerings of philosophy dawns upon us. Far through the dark mists of futurity it sends its heaven-born radiance, and shines with undimmed luster through the long, long perspective of eternity. "Life and immortality are brought to light in the Gospel." The solution of life's great mystery, then, is found in the fact that this is not man's real, but embryo, life. " This is the bud of being, the dim dawn, The twilight of our day, the vestibule. THE PROBLEM OF LIFE. 243 Life's theater as yet is shut, and death, Strong death, alone can heave the massy bar ; This gross impediment of clay remove, And make us, embryos of existence, free." II. But we must not pass over the solutions which human reason has attempted of this great problem. There must be some theory of life. Every thinking mind feels and acknowledges that. Why have I been created ; for what purpose ; and what are the ends to be accomplished by my existence? Attempt the solution on the grounds of mere human reason, that reason which fails to recognize this life as only pre paratory to another — attempt it on such grounds, and you can not advance a single step in your solution without coming in direct conflict with the sturdy facts of human experience. One attempts to solve the problem of human life upon the theory that the object of existence is happiness. " O, happiness, our being's end and aim " — comprises the alpha and the omega of his creed. With him, to accumulate wealth, to acquire knowl edge, to rise in power ahd influence, these are the great ends of life. This theory not only rests upon a false basis, but it fails of its end. Take the most favorable case ; the man who has lived long, been successful in life, acquired riches and honor, and is now filled with worldly pleasures — possessing all that heart could wish. If his riches could purchase life, or bribe the grim monster to forego his work ; if his worldly pleasures could perpetually rejuvenate his bodily system, and free it from the infirmities of age; 244 SERMONS. if his marble palace could bar its doors and shut out disease ; if these worldly pleasures could be perpetu ally enjoyed without cloying the appetite and filling the mind with aversion and disgust ; and, in fine, if these blessings could be secured to all the race, and enjoyed forever — then might we imagine that mere human reason had indeed succeeded in solving the mystery of life ; and we might also begin to sing of happiness as " our being's end and aim." But, alas ! the first breath of disease, the first cloying of ap petite, the first blast of misfortune that carries away our worldly riches, causes the beautiful theory to totter and tremble ; but when sturdy death comes — even though it be at life's longest limit — the beaute ous fabric of human ingenuity disappears forever; and there comes back upon us the irresistible con viction that the problem of life is yet unsolved. Such is the result of this theory when applied to the most favorable case. There are other cases by which it must also be tested. What shall we say of those who die in infancy ? They have failed of the happiness of this life ; but must we therefore infer that they have failed altogether of the objects of human existence ? Nay, it can not be unless all nature is a lie. Yet this theory of human happiness as the end of life leaves us with no other alternative. with regard to our departed little ones ; but, thanks be to God ! there comes to me a voice of deeper wis dom and of higher authority than any merely human, bringing assurance " that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven." THE PROBLEM OF LIFE. 245 Test this theory by another application. What multitudes there are, with whom life is one long struggle for happiness ; and that struggle, without any fault of their own, and without any possibility of its being otherwise, is all in vain. They are depressed by poverty, shut up to want; their inher itance is bodily disease and pain ; the aliment of knowledge is denied ; disappointment and misfortune fall upon their every pathway in life. How utterly unable is this theory to solve the mystery of these seeming contradictions, these anomalies, these appar ent abortions of human life ! Alas, how many of the despairing sons and daughters of misfortune and wretchedness may look up to heaven and exclaim with agonizing hearts, " If in this life only we have hope, we are of all men most miserable." What can this theory do for such ; what pang of disappoint ment and sorrow can it allay ; what promise to cheer and comfort can it make ; what assurance to hope can it inspire? Nothing, my brethren, can more thoroughly demonstrate the insufficiency of all these merely-human attempts at the solution of the great problem of life, than such applications as these. There is another theory for the solution of this problem, ingeniously put, and whose sophistry not un- frequently imposes itself upon even thinking minds. Look, says one ; behold how careful nature is of the race, the species, but how careless of the individuals that compose it ! Individuals are constantly dying, dropping away — in all stages of being from the first dawn of life to its latest hour ; but the race survives, keeps on, and even improves. This is certainly put 246 SERMONS. in a most ingenious and seductive form. It seems to lift us up from the minutiae of little things, to broad and grand views. But tell me, how can nature care for the race without caring for the individuals that go into and make up that race ? Can a father love his family as a whole, and strive to elevate and improve them as an aggregate, a family — while yet he is indifferent to them as individuals ? Who does not know that society is happy only as the individuals that compose that society are happy ? Pain, misfor tune, distress fall not upon a race, but upon individ uals. So it is with good ; it comes to the race only through the individual. Every individual elevated, endowed with happiness, contributes so much toward the elevation of the race ; and a race can be elevated only by the elevation of the individuals which com pose it. Individuality, after all, is the primal law of God and nature ; the mainspring of mighty forces. Nature could not preserve the identity and continu ance of a single species, except by continuing to stamp the individuals of that species with all its dis tinguishing characteristics. The great apostasy of man from God had its origin in an individual ; for "by one man sin entered into the world." So also with the second Adam ; he took his place as an indi vidual of the race, and hence it is said that "by the righteousness of One the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life." This theory, then, which sinks the individual in the race, is clearly at war with all the analogies of nature, is contradicted by the experience of man, and condemned by the revelations of natural as well as THE PROBLEM OF LIFE. 247 revealed religion. But even if it were not, tell me, 0 ye vain philosophers ! how is individual suffering, of which the world is full ; how is the death of the individuals of the race, often in childhood, in youth, or in early manhood ; tell me, how is all this to ele vate the race ? Nay, such an assumption is but the mockery of all reason, as well as religion. Thus, with invincible force, does the conviction come back upon us, that, if Nature is indifferent to the fate of the individuals that compose a . race, she can not be otherwise than indifferent to the race itself. III. But admitting that the present life is only preparatory to a future and immortal life, it only re mains for us to remove the objections urged against it as being adapted to that great end. The objector will interpose that death is not es sential to a probationary state. This we may readily admit. What would have been the earthly condition of man had he not sinned and incurred the penalty of death, it is impossible to say. Possibly he might have been favored with continued existence and hap piness on earth. The tree of life to which he had access, was at once the pledge of permanent being and happiness, and also a means of securing them. The fruit of this tree would have healed or averted every evil to which our physical nature might have been subject, and preserved life through the longest periods of duration, had not our iniquities barred us from its approach and girt it around with sleepless " cherubim and the flaming sword," as an eternal guard " to keep the way of the tree of life." Or, again, there is nothing inconsistent in the 24S SERMONS. supposition that man might have enjoyed a long life here ; and after a long series of years, when the fac ulties of both body and mind had acquired earthly maturity, by some easy and glorious transition, he might have been transferred to a holier clime, to pass through higher scenes of bliss, in his endless pro gression toward infinite perfection and happiness. How easy might have been the change ! how glorious the transition ! What unspeakable felicities would have enraptured the soul, as every successive change brought it into nearer progression to the infinite Fountain of goodness and love ! But when just cre ated — when just planted in the garden, with the broad seal of immortality upon his brow, and with the clearest indications of his Creator's goodness around him, it was then that rebellion dire " Brought death into the world, and all our woe." It was then that the glories of Eden faded from his vision, and the dark cloud of sorrow and death passed over all his prospects. For, "as by one man sin en tered into the world, and death by sin; so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." This consideration is sufficient to silence the ques tioner, showing that there is a natural and adequate cause for our race becoming subject to death. But this is not all. Death has a mission of life as well as of death. In this state of being where sin has spread abroad its ravages, it is utterly impossible for man to arrive at the full perfection of his being. The most philosophical of all our poets, amid the sadness and sorrow of bereavement, caught some THE PROBLEM OF LIFE. 249 glorious visions of the relations of the present to the future life. They were such as ennobled his very sorrow and tinged it with the bright radiance of im mortal faith : " Life makes the soul dependent on the dust, Death gives her wings to mount above the spheres. Through chinks, styled organs, dim life peeps at light ; Death bursts the involving cloud and all is day : All eye, all ear, the disembodied power. Death has feigned evils nature shall not feel ; Life ills substantial wisdom can not shun. Death but entombs the body, life the soul." We can not wonder that one who had such exalted views of our relations to another state of being, should also have just and accurate views of the mission of death. " Death is the crown of life ! Were death denied, poor man would live in vain : Were death denied, to live would not be life : Were death denied, e'en fools would wish to die. Death wounds to cure ; we fall, we rise, we reign ! Spring from our fetters, fasten in the skies, Where blooming Eden withers in our sight Death gives us more than was in Eden lost : This king of terrors is the Prince of Peace." Grant me but the existence of this spiritual nature, this immortal, thinking principle ; allow me the light which Revelation casts upon our connection with eternity, and our relations to a spiritual and deathless existence, and I ask no more that I may be able to vindicate the ways of God to man. But, we are asked, why is life so short, if the so lution of its great problem is found in the fact that it is a probationary, preparatory state ? Ought not a 250 SERMONS. life, involving such tremendous issues, to have been more protracted, that there might have been longer time, further opportunities, and consequently a higher probability of securing the great ends of its probation ? This brings us directly to the question whether the present life, with its limitations and uncertainties, is not the best possible arrangement to accomplish the ends of a probationary state ? In the first place, observe that the character is really formed in early life. The habits, tastes, pas sions, predominating tendencies formed in childhood grow stronger with our growth, and become so con firmed, even in early manhood, that they rarely un dergo any material transformation afterward. The only change, usually and in the ordinary course of things, observed in them is an ever-increasing tend ency to fixedness. Long before man reaches his threescore years and ten, this fixedness of character, in most instances, has become established. The man is no longer inclined, or even able, to enter upon new modes of thought, or into new departments of business. Nor is he capable, to any great degree, of receiving new impressions. When a man has reached that age, you expect him to live on just as he is to his dying day, and to go down into the grave with very much the same character he then possesses. This great fact in the mental history of our race has important relations to the great end of life — the sal vation of the soul. The very law of our mental con stitution which unfits us for new emotions, new trains of thought, or new departments of business, operates against our becoming religious late in life, when in THE PROBLEM OF LIFE. 25 I earlier years religion has been neglected by us. This conclusion of philosophy is also attested by the facts of experience. Nearly all who are ever converted are converted in early life, or at least the foundations of their religious characters are then laid. Many a sin ner has virtually decided his destiny long before he has reached his threescore and ten ; and could he live a thousand years longer, what would it avail ? You need expect no change in him. His character is fixed. Thenceforward he will live only to " fill up the measure of his iniquities, and heap up wrath against the day of wrath." To all intents and purposes, though he yet walks the earth, he is a damned spirit. We are forced thus to the conclusion that so far as the personal ends of probation are concerned — the salvation of the soul — the threescore years and ten of human life are long enough, and any addition to them in the aggregate would not conduce one iota to the great ends of human probation. But look again; if no good would come to the sinner, so far as his personal salvation is concerned, by protracting his life, to the world it would be an unmitigated and unmeasured evil. Think of a bloody Nero living on — his thirst for blood and his means of gratifying that thirst augmenting with the slow march of the centuries! Think of Napoleon, whose restless ambition — unhushed by any slumber of the grave — should distract the nations and desolate em pires by the unceasing alternations of conquest and defeat! Think of a Thomas Paine defying death, and living on to spread abroad through successive generations without end the pestiferous influence of 252 SERMONS. his living presence ! or a Voltaire through a thousand generations plying his fiendish work of sapping the foundations of the faith of man in God! Think of shrewd and grasping men, expanding their commer cial enterprise, till their ledgers should not only com prise whole navies and cities, but also the souls and bodies of men! What limit could be set to the hoardings of avarice ? Bloated intemperance, more haggard and repulsive as the ages passed by, would experience the intensified gnawings of its infernal appetite, and by its very presence render most foul and corrupting the moral atmosphere of our world! Then think, too, of those who now look to the grave as their only refuge from the shame of tarnished honor or sullied virtue! make man immortal upon the earth and you take away their last refuge. Think of those who, with all the consciousness of wrong, would be doomed to wear the manacles of oppres sion forever — toiling to pamper the luxury and faster the ever-growing pride and superciliousness of lordly masters — with no hope of deliverance from the friendly hand of Death! Such would be some of the fearful results of indefinitely protracting life, or of making it immortal upon the earth. It would convert our world into a pandemonium, more fearful than hell itself, because it would be not merely evil in torment with evil, but evil destroying all good. But in this connection, another objection is urged. It is based upon the uncertainty of life. In the in spired language of the man of Uz, death is described as "the land of the shadow of death without any order, and where the light is as darkness." Truly THE PROBLEM OF LIFE. 253 there is no order in the visitation of death. It puts utterly at defiance all the calculations of wisdom. Without order, without discrimination, without pro vision for the future or remedy for the past, the chil dren of men go down to the grave. The old and the young — the infant of a day and the man of hoary age; the good and the bad; the most useless and the most needed alike die. " Leaves have their time to fall, And flowers to wither at the north wind's breath, And stars to set — but all, Thou hast all seasons for thine own, O Death !" But is there no design in all this; no wise and beneficent purpose to be accomplished? Is it not an essential element in working out the great prob lem of life? We must not forget that there is a moral power in death, which all men are compelled to feel, whether they will acknowledge it or not. It is "a preacher of righteousness" in the earth. It has some agency in all the moral and spiritual good that comes to our race. The very thought of it, which will come unbidden to the soul by day and by night, arrests the man of wicked purposes ; makes the worldling feel that all his hoarded riches are empty and vain, and causes the lover of pleasure to look down into the dark and silent grave and grow thoughtful as he holds converse with the dead. Now, suppose the young were exempt from death ; in their pleasures how powerful the motive to forget God! and thus the forming period of life would be passed, and the soul be launched out upon the voy age of life with no direction heavenward. Suppose 254 SERMONS. the middle-aged were exempt ; in their struggle for riches, for honor, for power, God, and the soul, and eternity would be neglected and forgotten. And thus man would come down to old age — to the period when the grasshopper becomes a burden and desire fails — with all his habits fixed and confirmed, and all averse to God; his conscience has become seared, his spiritual perceptions all blunted, and his moral powers all enfeebled. As well may you hope for the leopard to change his spots as for that man to change his character. This ever-present conviction that our children and our friends are constantly exposed to death and hell is a most powerful stimulus to Christian effort for their salvation. Nay, even the Christian himself would not be safe were he permitted to enjoy this immunity from death. We are so prone to look upon religion merely in the light of a preparation for death, that were not death always at hand, always hovering around us, yet concealing the hour of his appearance, we should be imperiled in our spiritual condition by any such immunity. Hence it is that there is a voice coming up from the grave of smiling infancy nipped in the early bud ; coming up from the grave of youth whose cup of early joy was mingled with the bitterness of death; coming up from the mausoleum of the man of might and power, who died while yet the maturity of his strength was in him ; coming up from all around us and at every hour, and with thrilling tones warning us that there is no device, nor work, nor wisdom in the grave ever yawning to receive us. Did the old only die, the THE PROBLEM OF LIFE. 255 moral effect of death would be lost to the race. We should look upon it with quiet unconcern as a simple fulfillment of nature's laws. Thus it seems necessary that death should seek its victims from every age and from all ranks and conditions in life, that men may be brought to comprehend the imperative de mand made upon them for unceasing watchfulness and labor to work out the great mission of human life. Painful, then, as is this uncertainty of life, we thank Heaven for its allotment. Nothing short of so terrible a monitor, on our right hand and on our left, before and behind, at our side always, would be suffi cient to rouse the soul from its lethargy, and break the almost omnipotent spell which binds it fast in the thralldom of sin and death. Finally, in this solution of the problem of life, we remark that life, though short, is long enough for the Christian. There is no reason why he should live forever in this world of sin and death. Both his mental and moral capabilities shall be improved by the change. Does he go from the fellowship of com panions and fellow-pilgrims with whom he has jour neyed in the way, nobler companionship shall greet him on the other shore. Does he go from scenes of earthly beauty and happiness, more exalted beauties shall ravish his vision as his eyes open upon the sublime scenes of the New Jerusalem; and higher bliss than was ever comprehended in the most ex alted conceptions of human thought or imagination shall thrill all his nature with a new and wondrous rapture. Brief is the time, indeed, allotted to the Christian as his period of privilege; but shall we 256 SERMONS. complain that it is too short, if at the end we may receive the honors of a graduation to the goodly company that have preceded him, and are now faultless before the throne of God? Nay, if in this short time the work may be accomplished, a longer period would have been a waste, a useless blank in the lifetime of an immortal being. But when we look upon this world only as the nursery of the next, can we wonder that the thriving scion should be transplanted to a more genial soil, where it may spread abroad its branches and bear its fruit forever? Death, my friends, is but the transplanting of the soul, and heaven is the soil where it may live and flourish forever. It matters not, then, when or where the good man falls. " Death can not come To him untimely, who is fit to die; The less of this cold world, the more of heaven ; The briefer life, the earlier immortality." IV. We come now to apply these thoughts to one who nobly wrought out the great problem of life, and has so recently entered the last figure in the grand summation, and laid the whole before the Judge of all the earth. Never are human virtues fully enshrined till death sets its seal upon them, and stamps them with immortality. The Hon. John M'Lean, LL. D., Associate Jus tice of the Supreme Court of the United States, was born in Morris county, New Jersey, March 11, 1785. His father, who was a farmer, was a man of industry and integrity, but possessing little of this world's goods. Four years after the birth of John he THE PROBLEM OF LIFE. 257 emigrated with his large family to the West, first settling at Morgantown, in Western Virginia; after ward removing to Nicholasville, Kentucky, and finally, in 1799, settling in what is now Warren county, Ohio, where he cleared a farm, on which he resided till his death, which occurred about forty years later. The subject of the present memoir, at the age of eighteen, resolved upon entering the legal profession. Coming to Cincinnati he pursued his studies under the direction of Arthur St. Clair, one of the most eminent counselors of the West, at the same time supporting himself by writing in the office of the Clerk of Hamilton county. He was an ardent and close student, devoting most of the night, as well as the day, to the acquisition of knowledge. Not satis fied with pursuing the mere routine course of profes sional study, his reading took a wide range, for that day especially, when books and educational facilities were scarce. It comprised almost every department of science, history, and literature, as well as law. At this period he was laying the foundation upon which so noble and symmetrical an edifice was to be reared in later years. In 1807 he was admitted to the bar and opened an office in Lebanon, the present seat of Warren county. Here he pursued the even tenor of his way some five yeafs, rapidly extending his acquaintance and winning the esteem and confidence of all who knew him. Industry, method, faithfulness, and a high order of practicable ability, combined with great suavity of manner, were elements that could not and 258 SERMONS. can not fail of success in any man. From this time, also, another controlling element entered into his character. Through the instrumentality of that em inent minister of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Rev. John Collins, he was brought from a state of skep tical doubt and unbelief into the enjoyment of the clear sunlight of the truth and faith of the Gospel. He at once identified himself with the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which communion he continued till his death. Henceforth Christianity was not, with him, a mere matter of form, a garb, a profession ; it was a vital element in his character, enthroning con science in its rightful supremacy, and exerting a con trolling influence over his whole life. Happy the young man — and especially the professional young man — who thus, at the very commencement of his career, enthrones God in his heart, and enters upon life with those lofty aims and purposes inspired by the religion of Christ. This is but the recognition of life's grandest aim ; the mighty result of its great problem ; and it is not too much to say that through his long experience to the closing scene of his life, it never failed to be regarded as such by Judge M'Lean. Nor can it be at all doubtful that the recognition of this principle in his character was one of the causes of his great success in professional life — one of the causes of that unbounded confidence the American people have ever reposed in his moral integrity. So well and so favorably had Mr. M'Lean become known, that in 1812 he was elected member of Con gress by an overwhelming majority; and in 1814 he THE PROBLEM OF LIFE. 259 was reelected to the same office, having received every vote cast in his district. The first years of his service in our National Congress were years of conflict in our " second war for independence." He recognized the fact that true National allegiance bound him to support, with heart and soul, without proviso, and without mental reser vation, the National Government as constitutionally organized. To every measure necessary to sustain that Government and maintain the honor of our National Flag and the glory of our commonwealth, he gave the unflinching support of a true patriot. The base ifs — the provisos, and conditions of re maining in faithful allegiance, which spring only from traitor hearts, are separated by such infinitesimal lines from treason itself, that he regarded them with in finite scorn. Just as the drama of our third, and perhaps grandest struggle for nationality and for the holy principle of self-government was opened, the noble patriot of half a century, having deserved well of his country, sunk into the unwaking slumber of the grave, Had the pealing thunders of rampant treason and rebellion that boomed over the Alle- ghanies and woke to life, as with an electric shock, the martial spirit of the great, and glorious, and free North-West — had they but penetrated the cold ear of death, and summoned him forth as he stood in the heyday of his manhood, no voice would have uttered nobler sentiments of patriotism, and no heart beat with a purer or holier love of country. Mr. M'Lean terminated his Congressional services in 1 816. Though then but thirty-one years of age, 260 SERMONS. he had been elected by the unanimous vote of the Legislature of Ohio a Judge of the Supreme Court of the State. This office he held till 1822, when he was appointed by President Monroe Commissioner of the General Land-Office at Washington. A year later he was appointed Postmaster-General, which office he occupied through the administration of Adams into that of Jackson, till 1829. In this de partment he rendered eminent service to the coun try ; he brought order out of confusion ; he evoked system, and energy, and honesty, and diffused them through all the multitudinous ramifications of the department. The whole country was too greatly benefited by his services not to appreciate their value, and henceforth his reputation had gone forth beyond the boundaries of his own State. It had become national. When General Jackson was about to organize his Cabinet, in 1828, the Navy and the War Departments were both successively tendered him, but both de clined. The year following, he was appointed Asso ciate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, which office he continued to fill with honor to himself and usefulness to his country till his death. He first took his seat upon the bench in January, 1830, and continued with unvarying regularity to discharge the responsible duties of his office till the last adjournment of the Court, March 14, 1861 — making thirty-one years of arduous service in the highest judicial tribunal of the nation. This ap pointment he received, not as a political partisan, but on account of eminent fitness. Had that rule THE PROBLEM OF LIFE. 26 1 of action always been adhered to, in making the appointments committed to the hands of the Chief Magistrate of these United States, the great interests of the country would never have been brought into peril by the machinations of traitors occupying the chief posts of the nation — traitors, mean enough not only to hold office and take their pay from the Gov ernment while all their official energies were em ployed by stealth to undermine the very foundations of that Government, but also to violate the most sacred of all oaths, and thus strike a fearful blow at the only foundation upon which man can put faith in his fellow-man. The character of Judge M'Lean as a jurist, the value of his decisions, the manner in which they were enunciated, and the ability with which they were presented, it is fitting I should leave to the judg ment of the legal profession and to the discussions of the reviewer. But there is one point affecting the character of all these decisions pertinent to this occasion, and which I can not consent to pass over. We speak not at random, but upon the testimony of one who had been associated with him a quarter of a century in professional life. His constant and laborious effort in all cases ever was to decide right eously ; to ascertain the truth, and without fear, favor, or affection, " give righteous judgment." While he honored the law, and would sternly enforce its be hests, he was repugnant to technical exceptions cal culated to defeat or protract the rendition of justice. Another — Judge Wilkins, of Detroit — bears testi mony that, never did a defeated suitor or counsel 262 SERMONS. leave his Court with a suspicion rankling within him, that injustice had been done him by Judge M'Lean, or that the law had, in his case, been perverted. An other — Hon. J. M. Howard — who had known him long and well, says, " Never have I seen the scales of justice held with a firmer hand." His Court was a model of dignity and courtesy. The bickerings and scenes that usually stir men never had that effect upon him. The great secret of all this, says an other — Judge Storer — was, that he did not abide in the strength of his intellect, in his power or genius, but he feltf as a magistrate below — he was responsi ble to Him who is King above. The great secret of his success was in that he kept constantly before him and in his heart the conviction, that he was act ing and judging under the eye of God. We said that it would be out of place here to attempt any critical analysis of his judicial decisions, or any extended estimate of their character and value. But it would be equally improper for me to pass by without notice one of his efforts as a jurist — perhaps the greatest of his life, when we take into account its bearings upon the social and civil institu tions of the land. We refer to the " Dred Scott Decision." When the Supreme Court of the United States, at the bidding of a power which now demands the disintegration of our whole National fabric, so far departed from its dignity and equipoise — and from the line of all safe precedents — as to go outside of and beyond the case submitted to them, breaking down all those compromises that had been made to check the inundating tide of slavery, and, by a political THE PROBLEM OF LIFE. 263 construction, giving to this repugnant institution vested rights, under the Constitution of the United States, in all the Territories, if not in all the States, of this great Republic ; it was then that Judge M'Lean sent forth a dissent, or, perhaps, I may call it a judicial appeal, which must be regarded as the crowning act of his life. Overwhelming in fact, in vincible in argument, replete in judicial lore, it leaves nothing further to be desired in vindication of the Constitution and laws of the land. It is not too much to say that the dissenting opinions of Judges M'Lean and Curtis on this occasion went very far toward rescuing the Supreme Court of the land from much of the popular odium that would otherwise have fallen upon it. No man possessed sounder constitutional views, or labored with greater sincerity and earnestness to impress such views upon the leading minds of the nation. He was for preserving the Union, not by compromising the principles upon which it was founded, but by giving to those princi ples their true and just development. This, of course, not unfrequently brought him into conflict with men of extreme views; but the calm reliance of his own mind upon truth and justice never for sook him. He was a man of great benevolence of character. We mean benevolence in its broadest, its generic sense. This led him to be tender of the reputation of others, especially of his professional associates. His benevolence of character was manifested in his paternal tenderness toward the rising young men of the legal profession that appeared in his court. Far 264 SERMONS. removed was that tenderness from the supercilious patronizing which offends self-respect and awakens contempt. It was the tenderness of fatherly love, honorable in him who bestowed, and elevating to him that received it. His benevolence, too, extended to the purse; and it is the testimony of one — Judge Johnston — who knew him well, that " he literally ex hausted his income in acts of charity, known only to his God and himself." The unsullied Christian character of Judge M'Lean, after all, is the grandest feature of that noble man. All else may be forgotten — his dignity and urbanity as a judge, his learning and wisdom as a statesman, nay, his very patriotism ; but so long as Christian virtues continue to be held in esteem among men, so long will the name of John M'Lean shine forth resplendent as illustrating the purest and noblest type .of Christian faith and life in connection with the most exalted station in human society. He was jealous of the honor of the Christian name ; nor did he ever forget, even amid the fascinations of social or public life, that by character and act, if not by word, he was called to be a witness for Christ. He was faithful in the least as well as the greatest of his Christian duties. In the closet, at the family altar, and in the class-room, as well as in the more public services of the sanctuary, he obtained the spiritual nutriment which gave robustness to his Christian character. To the merely-formal professor he could say, " I have meat to eat ye know not of." When the Christian character and virtues are so rarely illustrated in public life, well may we mourn the loss THE PROBLEM OF LIFE. 265 of the Christian statesman, whose official integrity was a living rebuke to all who use office only as a means of emolument or power; the eminent judge, the purity of whose ermine was surpassed only by the spotlessness of his Christian life; the unselfish patriot, whose devotion to his country was surpassed only by his fealty to Christ, and whose life and character will ever be pointed to as the means of in spiring the young men of our country with the con viction that there are nobler ends to be attained, even in this life, than the sordid gains of office, or the selfishness of human ambition. I come not to-day to utter words of eulogy; yet it is not too much to say that, through the long period of his public life — extending over nearly half a century — his character, as a public officer, as a man, and as a Christian, has stood out before the world untarnished — nay, I may say, unsuspected. With equal honesty and ability has he met and fulfilled every trust. The loss of such a man at such a juncture is a public calamity. When humanity, with mighty throes, is yearning for a higher develop ment, and for the realization of a nobler destiny, well may we mourn the death of one whose own charac ter was a living embodiment of whatever is noble in. man, and whose influence was wide and powerful to benefit the race. As fellow-citizens, well may we mourn the death of one whose history linked us to the heroic age of the Republic, the purity of whose patriotism had been thoroughly tested, and whose very name was a talismanic charm for the preserva tion of the Union, and of the constitutional rights 23 266 SERMONS. and liberties of our whole country, and of all our citizens, the lowest as well as the highest. In person Judge M'Lean was tall and command ing. He was full six feet in hight, and his frame was well proportioned. His countenance was ex pressive of a high order of intellectuality and great benevolence of character; his lip gave unmistakable indication of great firmness and decision. He would be a marked man any where, so noble in his appear ance, so dignified, and yet so simple in his bearing. As a counselor, he was dispassionate, just, and faith ful ; and as a friend, steadfast and honorable. In a word, he combined in his character all the elements of a noble, Christian manhood. Born two years before the birth of the American Constitution, which consolidated our whole country into one great nation, he lived to die under the gloomy anticipation of its approaching dissolution. God grant that apprehension may never be realized! Seer-like, he foresaw the coming storm which is now expending its terrific force upon the great temple of freedom erected and consecrated by our fathers. He saw the danger did not spring from any defect in that glorious instrument of our organization — the American Constitution — but in the sad decay of public virtue and national morals. Danger from the other cause might be remedied by amendment to the Constitution ; but for the latter he saw no help, and, turning sadly away, he said, "All is lost unless God will save us from the corruption and madness of the present time." By this conviction, together with the excitements of Washington, and the incessant THE PROBLEM OF LIFE. 267 pressure of official influence to further individual aspirings for station, his health fairly broke down, and the minds of his friends became filled with alarm for his safety. With considerable effort, he reached his home near Cincinnati. Our Heavenly Father prepares his chosen ones for their departure, and there is not wanting evidence that all this time Judge .M'Lean was ripening for his better life. A thousand little suggestions, words of advice, and ex pressions of tenderness also indicated that he was anticipating the speedy coming of the day of death. Still his death was sudden. Only two days before his departure he rode into _the city, and seemed not only to enjoy the ride, but to be refreshed by it. The next day his disease developed itself in great severity. During his sufferings he was much in prayer; his soul seemed to be going out after God — the living God, in whom he had so long trusted. Again he rallied and gave promise of recovery. But it was only a delusive promise. Relapse soon fol lowed, then a sinking into unconsciousness, and that unconsciousness deepened into the dread slumber that knows no waking till the resurrection morn. Judge M'Lean is now numbered with the illustri ous dead. Most of his early associates in the public service had already preceded him to that " country from whose bourne no traveler returns." Madison and Monroe have long been numbered with the dead. Jay, and Kent, and Story, and Spencer, and Shaw have passed away, leaving behind them monu ments ' of legal erudition which can never perish. Marshall, too, whose mighty intellect towered in 268 SERMONS. majesty and strength, bringing the willing homage of the great and good of the land; John Quincy Adams, the able statesman and the invincible patriot ; Andrew Jackson, the man of iron nerve, whose most brilliant victory on the battle-field is eclipsed by the splendor of that glorious sentiment — "The Union, it must and shall be preserved;" and Webster, the great advocate, whose eloquence stripped error of its disguises, and lent even to truth an additional charm ; and Henry Clay — Kentucky's great son — whose every heart-throb was true to his country, and to whom is awarded the immortal honor of preferring to do right rather than to be President of the United States ; these and others now form the stately galaxy of our national sky. In that galaxy another star has been placed ; and there in undimmed brightness shall it shine forever. A noble form, fellow-citizens, that has moved among us and commanded our esteem and our honor, will be seen no more. As he passed along the streets the young looked up to him with admira tion and wonder, and hoary locks bowed to do him reverence. But he will walk our streets no more; the judicial assemblies that have been graced by his presence will witness that presence no more. He has gone where another than he shall sit as judge supreme. We shall see him no more in our solemn assemblages. He will mingle no more with the sons of God on earth, in these houses made with hands, for he has gone up to a nobler and a better sanctu ary, and joined that company of the redeemed that worship before the throne of God. Less than THE PROBLEM OF LIFE. 269 sixteen years ago, when dedicating that beautiful cemetery, where his ashes now slumber, he said, " In a short time I, too, must become a co-tenant of this domain, and visitors will look upon my grave as I now look upon the graves of others." That prophecy is now fulfilled. In that same address he added, " But we look for a better inheritance. The Savior has sanctified the grave and broken its chains." Illustri ous man ! ennobled by virtue and enriched by faith, the consummation of thy hope has been reached, the problem of thy destiny is solved, and thou art " forever with the Lord." 270 SERMONS. X. THE UNCERTAINTY OF LIFE JUSTIFIED. A FUNERAL DISCOURSE, PREACHED ON THE OCCASION OF THE DEATH OF HON. T. H. WHETSTONE, A MEMBER OF THE OHIO STATE SENATE, AT MT. WASHINGTON, FEB. 12, 1865. " For what is your life ? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." James iv, 14. DEATH is no new thing in our earth. For nearly six thousand years the successive gen erations of men, like successive waves of the ocean, have been appearing and then passing away. The number of the dead is uncounted. Their ashes mingle in the dust of every clime under heaven. Were they, by some trumpet-blast, called back to life, how would the very dust beneath our feet be made to quiver with motion ! how populous would our earth become! what strange and unknown men would stand around us every-where ! But death is not a thing of the past. Its ravages are still going on ; its victims are still being multi plied. The shafts of the unerring archer commis sioned with the work of death, are falling into our very midst, evermore ; relentlessly striking down the loved ones of our firesides and our homes. No plea, no prayer can stay the hand of the destroyer. No UNCERTAINTY OF LIFE JUSTIFIED. 271 budding promise of brilliant prospects and hopes ; no endowment of princely talents for usefulness and honor ; and no despairing outcry of hearts wrung with agony, can for a single moment avert the fatal blow ! It comes alike to all. The purest and the best, the most loved and the most needed — are called away. Nay, how often are youth, and beauty, and health stricken down, while age and feebleness con tinue to live on even when the day of their useful ness is passed, and life has become a burden alike to themselves and their friends! How often do we see the man of noble gifts cut off — just as those gifts were being developed for usefulness ; just as the community were coming to realize his worth and do homage to his virtues, and ere yet he had gained the high zenith of his power. But another, grovel ing in all his feelings and purposes, corrupt in him self and corrupting in all his influence, continues to live ; he escapes perils by which others are cut off ; he rises to health from diseases which carry others down to the grave ; and thus he goes on to old age, blighting and cursing to the very close of life. O, what strange incongruities and apparent contradic tions there are in this dying world ! How they perplex and disquiet the soul that looks only upon their outward aspect — without comprehending their deep and hidden significance ! But what is the obvious lesson of these moment ous facts ? what are they designed to teach ? Obvi ously, their first great lesson is the uncertainty of life. They proclaim that no age and no condition are ex empt — no, not for a single hour — from the liability 272 SERMONS. of death. They teach us that smiling infancy, youth in its beauty, and manhood in its strength, are all liable — every moment — to die. " For what is your life ? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." Never, perhaps, do these great questions con nected with life's uncertainty, and the perplexities they involve, press upon us with so much force as when we are awakened to them by some great, over whelming calamity ; some great domestic and public loss, like that which to-day fills our hearts with sad ness, and has summoned us to the house of mourn ing. It will be our purpose, then, in response to this deep and solemn feeling that presses upon us — this questioning of the wisdom and the goodness, as well as the need of the Divine plan that allows events to all human appearance so untoward, and death so untimely ; in response to this feeling that must rise in every mind, we propose, as the main theme of our discourse — A Justification of Life's Uncertainty. i. But, first of all, let us observe that this uncer tainty cuts no one off from the opportunity of salva tion ; still affords to every one the oppbrtunity. of accomplishing life's great end. Some are cut off in very infancy. They are car ried to the grave almost as soon as born. " Their all of life, a rosy ray, Blushed into dawn and pass'd away." But they do not therefore fail of the great end of their being. They had no opportunity to repent and UNCERTAINTY OF LIFE JUSTIFIED. 273 to exercise faith in Christ ; never even had intel lect sufficiently developed to comprehend the sim plest truth of redemption. But, neither were they guilty of actual transgression ; and washed in the blessed blood of atonement, they shall be borne to the bosom of Him who has said, "Of such is the kingdom of heaven" Their life was indeed a vapor ; but they were not denied the boon of immortality. If others — if the wicked are cut down by the fearful stroke of sudden and unexpected judgment, it is not till opportunities of repentance and admon itory warnings have been given. Who of you, my hearers, has not been earnestly and affectionately warned of the peril of death ? " Boast not thyself of to-morrow" — ye, that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, and which are crushed be fore the moth. Who of you has not been earnestly, affectionately, and sincerely invited to Christ? By the ten thousand providences whose voices are com ing up from ten thousand graves, all over the land — no less than by his Word — is God saying to each one of you, " Set thine house in order ; for thou shalt die, and not live!' Every false trust is leveled with the dust. What is yours ? Is it your riches ? " They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches ; none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him ; that he should still live forever, and not see cor ruption." Is it your wisdom ? Behold, " there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever ;" for the wise, like the fool and the brutish person, 274 SERMONS. perish. Is it your family connection and power? Remember that " men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie ;" " put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help." Is it your abundant resources ? Are you saying, " Soul, take thine ease ?" are you laying to yourself the flattering unction of " much goods " and " many years ?" Alas, couldst thou but read that strange writing upon the wall of conscience, it might be as of old — "this night thy soul shall be required of thee." There can be no injustice in an uncertainty of which we have such full and ample warning. Were we promised immunity and then denied ; or, were we left in ignorance or in doubt, and then hurled for ward to suffer an unexpected doom — we might have some ground to complain. But warning meets us at every turn. It comes from the skies above and the earth beneath. It comes from the desolated homes of earth and the charnel houses of the dead. Unnum bered voices take up the notes of warning, and with solemn earnestness proclaim — fellow-mortal, to you, and to me — that there is no discharge in this war. 2. Again, this uncertainty of life is justified from the fact that it brings a moral power to bear upon the mind of the sinner, which is absolutely neces sary, and which can be derived from no other source. Take away this constant liability to death ; silence the warning voice of conscience and of Revelation ; and what can you expect of the soul in love with sin, but that it will remain impenitent and unre newed ? has the individual a lease upon life ? is it UNCERTAINTY OF LIFE JUSTIFIED. 2?$ fixed that the great Ruler must first serve a notice upon him and for a specified time, before he can be taken away ? You would, then, not expect him to even begin his preparation to move till the notice had been served. Or, suppose threescore and ten years were assured to every individual — what would be the result ? how many would live on in sin till the very last hour? Appeal to the young man of twenty ! why, he will say, " I have half a century yet left." Go to the man of thirty, of forty, of fifty ! why, he will plead, " I have yet forty, thirty, twenty years remaining ; there is time enough yet." And so on to the very last year, and month, and day, and hour ! And what would be the result ? The obvious and alarming result, my friends, would be this : A whole life of influence would be lost to the cause of Christ ; and then the man would come down to the close of life with no prep aration for eternity ! All his habits, and feelings, and thoughts are averse to religion. It is doubtful whether it would be possible for him now, under the paralyzing effect of the near and certain approach of death, to throw off the manacles he had been bind ing to himself all his life long! But suppose this possible ; and that at the last hour he enters heaven : how does he enter ? Alas ! his whole life has been perverted and lost, and the immortal faculties, which it was life's great work to cultivate and enlarge, are dwarfed and blighted forever. 3. And yet, some one will say — admitting all that has been alleged in relation to the sinner, and that there is imperative need — this warning should be 276 SERMONS. perpetually sounding in the ear of the wicked ; there certainly can be no need of it for the Christian. Why, then, should he be subjected to this uncertainty of life? Suppose, my friend, that an exemption from- sud den death was secured to the Christian — what would be the effect upon the ungodly and the sinner? Why, they would seek religion — not from any deep abhorrence of sin and longing desire to be delivered from it — not from any admiration of the beauty of holiness and desire to obtain it; but as a worldly good, and an exemption from bodily harm. No ardent longing after immortality ; no yearning of soul for the purity and the bliss of heaven ! but simply how to secure exemption from sudden death. Thus the pure and heavenly motives that should win a soul to Christ would be utterly wanting. Nay, the very ele ment of moral virtue would be absent, and worldly selfishness would usurp its place. To such, our Sav ior might say, " Ye follow me not because ye saw the miracle ; but because ye ate of the loaves and were filled." But, again, is it true that even the Christian does not need life's uncertainty as a continual stimulus to activity in the divine life? How often would he become sluggish in the way ! how often tempted to loiter, to cull the flowers of fancy, to drink in the pleasures of the world ! But there is ever coming up from the holy Word, and breaking in solemn tones upon his ear, " Ye know not when the Master of the house cometh ; at even, or at midnight, or at the cock- crowing, or in the morning;" "watch ye, therefore." UNCERTAINTY OF LIFE JUSTIFIED. 277 Why, my brethren, even now, with a dying world all around, with God above and eternity just before us, how terrible the apathy of the Church! But should this pressure of an oncoming eternity — just at hand, and ready at any moment to burst upon us — be taken away, alas! is there not reason to fear that the life of faith would absolutely die out and become extinct upon the face of the whole earth ? We are brought, then, to the conclusion that this uncertainty of life is one of those providential allot ments which, though terrible in itself, and involving sudden and alarming transitions from life to death, is beneficent in its general design, and indispensable in the present condition of the race. Through the dark cloud that overhangs the whole earth, and spreads the pall of blackness and of gloom every where, there comes down this ray of heavenly shin ing — the mercy of Him, who knoweth the feebleness of our frame that 'we are but dust. 4. Again, we justify this uncertainty of "human life from the fact that death-bed repentances and preparations for heaven are too often — nay, I will say for the most part, illusory and without founda tion. I do not limit the boundless mercy of a sin- forgiving God, nor yet his power to cleanse and save the repenting soul. I will not say but what many a sinner at the last hour, like the thief upon the cross, has been purified by the blood of Christ, and is now robed in white before the eternal Throne. And every sinner who does truly repent and heartily believe in Christ, even though it be the act of a 278 SERMONS. moment, is saved. But this repenting and believing, against the whole current and force of life's habits, and amid the agony and terror of a dying hour, is not so easy a thing. Many have thus sought God, and have died in apparent peace ; we will hope for them. They have passed the bounds of human re sponsibility, and we will leave them with their God. But, my friends, how has it been with others, who, from the valley of death where they, to all appear ance, repented and likewise received pardoning mercy, came back to life? In many instances that are known it proved nothing more than the delirium of a dream, and in nearly all such cases the reforma tion has proved unsubstantial and evanescent as the morning vapor. My brethren, I turn a deaf ear to this siren song of a death-bed repentance. It has deluded more to hang their hope of heaven upon its uncertain trust, who, when their eyes have opened upon the eternal world, have found themselves in hell, being in torment, than it was ever instrumental in carrying up to heaven. Beloved, I would not disturb the hope which fond friendship has cherished for the departed. But the solemnities of the occasion and the gravity of this great truth demand that I should deal soberly and earnestly with you. And surely if there is one this side of eternity who is prepared to warn you against the postponement of religion to a dying hour, it is he who has wrestled in agony over the dying man, praying, as it were, against hope, rejoicing in his apparent conversion, and yet in the end coming to know that it was all the delirium of a dream! UNCERTAINTY OF LIFE JUSTIFIED. 279 Then, again, in this connection, it is an almost universal impression that while very few live habit ually prepared to die, equally few die unprepared. There seems to be an idea that there is something in death itself — something in the process of dying — that refines the moral nature and changes the man. But, my friends, there is not that difference between the living and the dying world that we imagine. We shall, in all probability, die as we have lived. The characters we have formed in time we shall carry with us down into the grave. They will cling to us in eternity. Then, too, I observe an almost universal dread of sudden death. Nor can we wonder at this dread when we consider how momentous an event death is, and how solemn the realities it involves. But after all does it not spring — does it not receive force and point — mainly in the consciousness that we have not an habitual preparation for death, and the consequent " dread of something after death ?" Does it not spring from a consciousness that we are leaving something undone which we would wish to repair in a dying hour. And yet how rare are the instances in which death does not come suddenly! Down to the last hour of life, and almost to the latest gasp, the wasting consumptive will repeat his oft-told, delusive story of " being a little better," thus hugging the delusive hope of life till its last sand is already falling from life's emptied glass. Who of us will die when, and where, and as we suppose? Probably not one. The fact is, death comes suddenly to all. It breaks in upon all the unfinished plans of life, and 280 SERMONS. hurries its victim away. No startling admonition breaks upon the air. Thus we find this uncertainty of life interwoven with all our history. No one can rise above it; no one can break away from it. And yet how necessary is all this ! for when will a man disentangle himself from the world and get ready to die? When could death find a man with all his plans of life consum mated, no new scheme of worldly enterprise inspiring his ambition, and no old, unfinished plan he would like to complete before he was hurried away? Having thus justified the uncertainty of human life, we pass to notice some of the lessons to be derived from the subject. i. And, first, it teaches us that sudden death is not to be regarded in all cases as a special judg ment. It is rather an incident in the unfolding of a great and beneficent system that involves the well- being of the race. It is, indeed, sometimes a thun derbolt in the hand of the Almighty to cut off a wicked and sinning Ahab ; but it is also sometimes the chariot of flame in which an Elijah rides up to his coronation in the skies. 2. But again, the subject warns us impressively and solemnly against presuming upon the future. How many there are who, intoxicated with the pleasures of the world, flattered by the abundance of their resources, the security and certainty of their plans, are laying to their souls the flattering unction that their mountain standeth strong, and they shall never be moved! My friend, let me ask you, as you cast your gaze down into the dark and uncertain UNCERTAINTY OF LIFE JUSTIFIED. 28 1 future, to say what is to protect you from the unex pected and overwhelming calamities that have fallen upon others ? What is the pillar of your strength — the rock of your defense? What earthly treasure have you that is exempt from the mutation that stamps all things earthly? Your beauty shall fade away; your manly vigor shall be succeeded by the infirmity and decrepitude of age; your riches shall be cankered, your friends pass away, and your life — what is it but a vapor? Warning voices spring up from every quarter; they send forth their admonitory tones through all the walks of life, and bid us presume not upon the morrow. The silent stars, as they course their nightly rounds through the heavens, the joyous sun as he rises in the east and hastens to his setting, the great tide of human life as it sweeps along its crowded channels to return no more, bid us presume not upon the morrow. The crushed and blighted hopes of unnumbered millions, coming up like the despair ing wail of a lost soul, admonish us to beware how we trust to the contingencies of an uncertain future. 3. Again, the subject teaches us that we need a more substantial foundation than human life affords upon which to build. What earthly hope can there be for "them that dwell in houses of clay whose foundation is in the dust, and which are crushed before the moth ?" Alas, how difficult it is to asso ciate ourselves with the dying as well as the living world! Every moment we see youth, and beauty, and fortune passing away with a sudden shock that 24 282 SERMONS. alarms our fears for the moment, and then we pass on as though we expected to live forever! "All men think all men mortal but themselves." The most sudden and alarming transitions from life to death produce only a momentary impression on the dust that breathes. But with all the tenderness and concern of one whose sympathies are deep and broad as they are pure, the appeal is made unto you — ¦ "What is your life? It is even as a vapor that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away!' We may lay deep our schemes, build with un measured toil the airy castle of our worldly delusions ; but the mighty fabric, imposing as it may appear in the eyes of mortals, is but a house built upon the sand. The very first tempest that sweeps along will undermine its foundation and leave it a desolate ruin. The " Rock of Ages '' is the only sure basis on which the hope of mortals can ever rest. To one whose hope is firmly planted here, what matters it though every worldly hope be withered and destroyed? What though death should rise up amid his noon tide or evening walks ? His steadfast heart shall fear no ill. For him the waves of Jordan have no terror, and the dark valley no gloom; for in the triumphant hope of glory yet to be revealed, the day of his death is hailed as the day of his release from life's dark and wearisome journey — the day of his exalta tion to immortal bliss. To such, " There is no death : what seems so is transition ; This life of mortal breath Is but the suburb of the life elysian, Whose portal we call death." UNCERTAINTY OF LIFE JUSTIFIED. 283 4. The thoughts suggested in this discourse find force and impressiveness in the solemn event that has now summoned, us together. A little over one week ago, before the dawning of the morning, a railroad train starts from an inland city, bearing its precious freight of human life and hope. No warning voice sounds along the pathway of the iron-horse ; no consciousness of danger disturbs the repose of the wayfaring company ; and no inward presentiment awakens apprehension. Thoughts of business, of home, occupy the mind ; and the thrill of delight at the thought of so soon meeting the loved ones around the hearth-stone, glows in the heart. The lightning speed of the iron-horse seems not fast enough to hasten the joy of meeting. But, alas! amid these dreams — what jar is that? Down, down — the frightful distance of over sixty feet into the yawning chasm below — the car plunges. One loud, sharp, agonizing cry breaks forth upon the stillness of the night — a heavy crash follows, and the work of death is done. No, not done — the crackling fire and the moan of dying agony coming up from that deep and frightful gorge in horrible dissonance, indicate that the work of ruin and of death is still going on. Among the victims of that awful tragedy was he whose remains we are to-day to bear to their dark and silent home. The Hon. Thomas H. Whetstone, member of the Senate of the State of Ohio, from Hamilton county, is no more. Cut off in the early noon of his manhood, from the midst of his usefulness, and 284 SERMONS. just as his great intellectual and moral worth was attaining the highest public recognition — the com munity mourn his loss ; the Church mourns it ; and, above all, his friends and family bow down in sorrow under the terrible bereavement that has fallen upon them. Mr. Whetstone was born in the city of Cincin nati, in the year 1815, September 17th, and was con sequently a little over forty-eight years of age at the time of his death. Whatever advantages wealth, and education, and Christian nurture, in the hands of intelligent and pious parents, could bestow upon a young man, were his. His early education and train ing had reference to the profession of law ; and had he devoted himself to this department of life, the cast of his mind — the strength, breadth, and penetra tion of his intellect, his high sense of honor, and his sterling integrity — would have given him a high place at the bar. But when he came to age, his love of rural life, combined probably with that native diffidence, and that instinctive shrinking from public demonstration which characterized him all through his life, and even in his public career, induced him to devote himself to agriculture. Whatever other causes may have contributed to this result, they robbed the pro fession of one who would scarcely have failed to become an honor and an ornament to either the bar or the bench. But, one of our city journals has well said that "the spirit with which he has pursued the occupation of his choice, and the cultivated mind he has brought to bear upon his labors, have ennobled UNCERTAINTY OF LIFE JUSTIFIED. 285 his calling, and at the same time elevated his own standing in society." In 1839 Mr. Whetstone was awakened at a camp meeting and joined the Methodist Church as a seeker of religion. And not long after he experienced par doning mercy in the Old Brick Church, at Salem, so honored in the early history of Methodism in the great North-West. From that time forward he has been known and honored for his self-sacrificing and untiring efforts to promote the cause of the Re deemer. The Church planted in his neighborhood and sustained mainly through his influence ; the Sunday school of which he was superintendent, and which owed so much to his personal exertions ; the little class of which he was the leader and religious guide — all bear witness to the sincerity of his devo tion and the constancy of his labor. If they have never before appreciated his worth, they will appre ciate it now. If they have never before fully ap prehended how true, and noble, and generous his heart, they will apprehend it now. Ah, who will rise up in that neighborhood to fill the vacancy in the Church of God ! The standard-bearer has fallen ! ah, who now shall take up the standard and bear it onward in the Sunday school and in the Church ! The lay-offices of the Church were never sought by our departed brother ; but they sought him as one that could wield them with honor to the cause and good to the world. When, at the last General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, it was found necessary, for important ends, to organ ize a Board of Trustees for the whole Church, Mr. 286 SERMONS. Whetstone was made a member of that board, and / his associates had expected much from the wisdom of his counsels and the efficiency of his zeal. Mr. Whetstone was an earnest promoter of the public good. The cause of education, the erection of school-houses, and public improvements in every de partment found in him a strong advocate and efficient worker. Though at the farthest possible remove from personal or selfish ends, such a man could not pass through life without having demands made upon him for public service. Those who knew him regarded him as being equal to and worthy of the highest offices in the gift of the people. For a time modesty held those gifts in abeyance. But as his worth be came known the people called him forth and honored him with a seat in the Senate of the State, as a rep resentative of her great commercial city. Retiring and diffident, he did not dash forth like a blazing meteor ; but his growth was gradual and sure. His colleagues honored him for the soundness of his judg ment, the breadth of his views, and the ability with which he maintained them. They honored him also for his sterling integrity of character. The people recognized in him the able and true representative ; and the popular voice compelled him, against his own wishes, to return to the Senate. Here he was serv ing his fourth session. And it may truly be said, that, from his first entrance into the Senate to the time of his untimely cutting off, his influence con tinued to grow apace, till few men in that body were more respected and influential than he. A higher and still broader sphere of influence was already UNCERTAINTY OF LIFE JUSTIFIED. 287 beginning to be confidently predicted for him, by his personal friends, when the sad calamity of which we have spoken closed his useful and honorable career. There is one more relationship in life — the most tender and delicate of all — of which it remains for us to make mention. On the 1 7th of September, 1 840 — the 25th anniversary of his birth — he was married to Miss Esther Mears, daughter of the late, lamented Thomas Mears. To them were given nine children — seven sons and two daughters. Ever devoted to his country, he did not withhold his eldest son when that country demanded his service. That son is not in our assembly to-day. He was one of the 50,000 he roes who made the memorable march with Sher man — a march that eclipses the fame of the immortal march of Xenophon with his 10,000 Greeks ; a march that will shed luster on our country's arms forever. May God bless the son,, and make him a worthy rep resentative of the noble manhood of the father! Only a few weeks since, the friends were gathered at the mansion of our brother to witness the marriage of the eldest daughter to a surgeon in the army, now stationed at Little Rock, Arkansas. How joyous the gathering then ! how sad the meeting now ! How remote the thought of any one then present was such an event as fills our hearts with sadness to-day ! O Death, thou hast prevailed against our brother ; thou hast changed his countenance and sent him away ! Dear sister, the long and beautiful dream of your married life has come to a sad and sudden end. You now wake up to the terrible reality that the dear and 288 SERMONS. loved companion in the journey of so many years is no more. In the awful darkness of this bereave ment, you grope around, feeling for him, but find him no longer at your side. The support of that strong arm on which you have so confidingly leaned, can no longer shield or sustain you. You call ; but no response comes back. Your wail of entreaty falls upon the dull, cold ear of death ; and the tongue that never faltered in its response of tenderness is mute and silent forever. But let it cheer you, be loved sister, to know that the hour which brought sadness to you was freighted with immortal joy for him ; that the sad accident which left a bruised and mangled body, unprisoned an immortal spirit ; no bruise of the accident marred its divine beauty ; no mark of the fire stained the unsullied whiteness of its robes, and no pent-up, smothering smoke stifled its voice, as joyfully it soared upward and joined in the anthems of eternity. Let it cheer you, dear sister, to know that the parting shall be brief. On the other shore he will wait your coming; and as you have together walked the rugged pathway of life, so, hand in hand, shall you walk upon the banks of the river of life. Nerve yourself for your new duties — for your greater responsibilities. No one can share those burdens with you now ; but the thought of doing what he would approve, and smile to see you do if he were alive and looking on, will make you strong for the burden, and cheer you all along the way. Children, let me charge you, amid the solemni ties of this hour, cherish the memory of that dear, UNCERTAINTY OF LIFE JUSTIFIED. 289 departed father. Never, O never let that drooping, sorrowing mother have occasion to sigh over your waywardness or disobedience. Stand nobly by her side. So far as it is in your power make up the loss she has sustained. And may the God of your father be your God forever! Beloved friends, fellow-members of the Church of Christ — brothers and sisters — aged parents — we sor row not as those who sorrow without hope. Amid this scene of bereavement and of agony there comes down a voice of sweetest melody and of divinest authority to relieve our despondency and chase away our gloom. " Thy dead men shall live ; together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust" In this -certain and glorious- hope, we mingle the ashes of our brother with their native earth — rejoicing that there shall be a resurrec tion of the dead. Amen. 25 290 SERMONS. XI. AN APPEAL FOR CITY MISSION-WORK. DELIVERED IN MORRIS CHAPEL, CINCINNATI, MARCH 17, 1867. " For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich." 2 Cor. viii, 9. THERE is something in self-sacrifice and suffer ing for the good of others that makes a deep and abiding impression on the human heart. The patriot who sacrifices ease and perils life for his coun try is held in grateful memory. The self-sacrifice of Howard, who devoted his life to the mitigation of human suffering in its lowest and darkest forms, has ever challenged the admiration of the world. Flor ence Nightingale, who in our own age mitigated, by angelic ministries, the horrors of the Crimean war, is a name of beauty and of praise. All these are gems in the coronet of humanity. Men who reviled them while living, praise them when they are dead. But the sublimest instance of this self-sacrifice, which the history of the race affords, is that referred to in our text : " For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich." There was something glorious in the AN APPEAL FOR CITY MISSION-WORK. 29 1 character of Jesus — his wisdom, his untarnished pu rity, his lofty adhesion to principle, his faithfulness to his friends, his unselfish love, his mysterious power over the elements of nature, his equanimity amid the buffetings of his enemies, his calmness in times of peril, his unshaken confidence in truth, and his im plicit submission to the will of the Father, all con spire to make him a wonderful character. But that in his character and life which has taken deepest hold upon the heart of humanity, and wrought most deeply into the life of the world ; that which has challenged the admiration of his enemies in all ages, and made the infidel vie with the Christian in eulogies upon the character of Jesus, is his self- sacrifice and suffering for the common brotherhood of the race. Incomparably more glorious was the self-sacrifice of Jesus than that of any hero, or sage, or philanthro pist, or martyr, in any age or clime, in the world's history. The character of the victim was more lofty ; the object for which he died more sacred ; and the results of his sacrifice more comprehensive and lasting. Let us then notice, first, the self-sacrifice of Jesus ; and, secondly, the believer's enrichment. I. And, first, the self-sacrifice of Jesus. We said it was the sublimest instance of self-sacrifice recorded in the history of the world. 1. It is enhanced if we consider the riches he laid aside. " Though he was rich he became poor." (1.) Reference is evidently had here to the riches of his antecedent life, that is, the riches he had before 292 SERMONS. he came into this world. He never had any riches on earth, and therefore he did not become poor in this world ; but he became poor in coming into it. Socinianism, which denies the divinity, and con sequently the preexistence of Christ, has always been sorely perplexed with this passage. Its interpretation is, that "Jesus was rich in power and in the Holy Ghost." But then the trouble comes in when it is said he became poor. Surely, even the contemner of the divinity of our blessed Lord will not contend that he became poor in those divine graces. Nay, he was never wanting in power, even in his poverty. He hushed the winds and calmed the waves ; he healed the sick and raised the dead. So also was he, to the very close of life, rich in all the fullness of the Holy Ghost. The riches laid aside, then, were not riches of earth ; he never had them — he never wanted them ; but it was the riches of his antecedent glory — the glory he had with the Father even before the world was. Hence, in another place the apostle speaks of him as one "who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God ; but made him self 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." Ephesians ii, 6-8. " How great the riches of his grace ! He left his throne above, And, swift to save a ruined race, He flew on wings of love. AN APPEAL FOR CITY MISSION-WORK. 293 The Almighty Former of the skies Stooped to our low abode, And angels viewed with wondering eyes And hailed the incarnate God." (2.) "He was rich!' The owner as well as the creator of all things; "for by him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers ; all things are created by him and for him." Colossians i, 16. Such is the summing up of the riches of the Lord of life and glory. His right is the most absolute that can be conceived of in the universe — that of creation. His possessions were boundless beyond our power of thought or utterance. The gold and the silver are the Lord's, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. So, also, the riches of the vast ocean. The earth with its fullness belonged unto him. The man who acquires a few hundred acres, especially if it is en riched with a beautiful water-fall or shining lake, prides himself upon his good fortune. But behold, all the broad acres of the earth are the Lord's, and every water-fall and mountain cascade, and every lake, and rivulet, and ocean — all belong unto him. (3.) "He was rich!' In him were all the resources of power. He had control of the elements. He rebuked the winds and hushed the waves. The few loaves and the handful of little fishes he multiplied till hungry thousands fed and were filled. He opened the eyes of the blind, and the sightless balls flashed with light. He touched the bier of the dead, and death itself leaped into life. 294 SERMONS. Even his enemies could have had no power over him, had he not voluntarily laid aside the riches of his power. He might have summoned legions of angels to his aid; he might have summoned the slumbering elements of nature from their hiding- places to come forth and do his bidding upon his foes. Even to the judge who condemned him he said, "Thou couldst have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above!' John xix, II. It is the glory of the self-sacrifices of Jesus that they were voluntary at every stage of progress. Sometimes a philanthropist or reformer will, in the heat of the fearful conflict, faint in purpose, and would gladly retire, but that they are publicly com mitted to some great principle, and are bound to sink or swim, die or live with it. The patriot soldier often, when the battle is raging around him, thinks of life and home, and would be glad to flee away. Not so with the sacrifices of Jesus. He would not remit a single pang; he would not pluck a single thorn from the crown of his suffering. The bitter cup he drank to its very dregs. And every gush of agony in the garden, and every pang upon the cross, were voluntarily endured by the suffering Son of God. 2. Again, the greatness of the self-sacrifices of Jesus will be apparent further if we consider the poverty to which he descended. (i.) "He became poor" in his family relationship. His parents, though of the house of David, were poor. They were of an obscure family, and dwelt in one of the most unpromising villages of Galilee. AN APPEAL FOR CITY MISSION- WORK. 295 His father was a carpenter, and probably never rose above the necessity of daily toil. It is certain that the family was never lifted above their condition of poverty, for in the dying agony of the cross the Savior commends his own mother to the charity of one of his disciples. His fellow-citizens and neighbors made this objec tion to his ministry as he stood up in their syna gogue and performed his miracles in their presence. "Whence hath this man this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary, and his brethren James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence, then, hath this man all these things ?" Matthew xiii, 54-56. It was by this voluntary humiliation in being born of a family in poverty that the blessed Redeemer allied himself to the great majority of families on the earth, and especially to that very class of families that need such an alliance to lighten their dark and gloomy pathway, and to make them feel that their condition was ennobled and made hopeful and joyous by their relationship to the Son of God. (2.) "He became poor" in his own condition. He had no home ; was supported by the charity or by that holier word, love of his friends. He could say, " Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." Luke ix, 58. He died as he had lived, a poor man. And it is thus that he has allied himself to the great heart of humanity — become a brother to the great majority of the race. 296 SERMONS. He is the poor man's Savior. False gods and false lords are held up as renowned heroes, men of valor and mighty power in arms ; gorgeous palaces and temples are their habitation ; riches, and king doms, and earthly power are their inheritance. They are lifted out of the sphere of sympathy that encircles the great mass of men. But, blessed be God, our Savior lives in the very heart of that sympathy! And it is by this very power that he enters into the great heart of humanity, and through his own pov erty makes it rich. II. We come, then, secondly, to notice the be liever's enrichment. " That ye through his poverty might be rich." How, and in what respect, may the believer be enriched by the self-sacrificing and volun tary poverty of Christ ? 1. "Might be rich" in higher and nobler views of the mission of life. With many, life is simply a place for business — a mart in which they may buy and sell, and gain riches. The pleading voices of humanity that come up from every quarter, beseech ing sympathy in their sorrows, and relief from their miseries, are unheeded by them. The better feelings of their own nature — prompting to goodness, and love, and beneficence — are all drowned by the grating gutturals of mammon. What a standing rebuke to all such are the life and character of the Lord Jesus Christ ! When he comes into fellow-sympathy with us, he makes us feel that there is yet something noble in the nature of man, and that life has a great and holy mission. It is said of heathen philosophers and AN APPEAL FOR CITY MISSION- WORK. 297 poets that they taught the immortal gods how to live like mortal men — creatures of lust, of passion, and of cruelty. But Christ Jesus, by the embodi ment of virtue, by the manifestations of benevolence and mercy, would teach mortals how to be, and to live like God. 2. "Might be rich" with a present interest in the atoning blood of the great Redeemer. He that has Christ for his portion — Christ dwelling within him — life within life, so to speak — is a possessor of the true riches, the fadeless joy. A Christian gentleman was visiting a nobleman in the North of England, when the latter took him out to look at his estate. He pointed out the beau tiful meadow lands stretching away as far as the eye could reach, the cultivated glebes and hill-sides, the broad pastures swarming with the choicest herds, and the forests crowning the distant hill-tops. "All these," said the proud nobleman, " are mine." " But do you see that little white cottage ?" asked the Christian gentleman, pointing to what seemed a mere speck in the vast estates of the rich nobleman. " Yes ; but what of it ?" " Why, there lives a poor widow — a tenant of yours — whose estate, after all, is worth more than your own. In a few years you will die. A few feet of earth will be all that will then be left to you of all your possessions ; but she has Christ for her portion, and that is worth more than all the world besides." He that has Christ dwelling within him has the soul's sublimest, earthly portion ! an inheritance richer by far than all the world besides. Why may not that 298 SERMONS. portion be ours? When shall the soul be filled with unutterable joy ? " When God is mine, and I am his, Of Paradise possessed, I taste unutterable bliss, And everlasting rest." 3. "Might be rich" in the heirship of eternal glory. The richest earthly inheritance is of brief duration. We shall die, and it will pass away. But how am I dignified and ennobled — made rich — by my alliance, through Christ, to immortal glory ! O, how this revelation of immortality enlarges my vision! how it lifts up my soul ! I am a part of the bound less, the indestructible universe of God ! I shall dwell with the angels and with God forever ! lessons. Let me draw a couple of lessons from this sub ject, and I have done. 1. The first is a lesson of the worth and dignity of our nature. I do not mean of our individual nature ; but of our humanity, even in its darkest and lowest forms. Christ became poor that this humanity of ours might be made rich. Did he not see in it a value ? a transcendent worth — that made it worthy of enrichment by the sacrifice and suffer ing of himself? There is something, then, of worth, of value in human nature, else Christ had never en nobled it by so stupendous a sacrifice. 2. The second lesson is, that we should imitate Christ's example of self-sacrifice for the enriching of others. This is the very spirit of the Gospel. AN APPEAL FOR CITY MISSION- WORK. 299 Every one of you have it in your power, in some way, to cooperate in this work of Heaven. If Christ could become poor that these souls might be en riched, how much ought you to do ? There is no place on the wide earth where Chris tian men can do so much for humanity, for God, as in the great city. There you find squalid poverty. Just in proportion as some get rich, others get poor. Overgrown fortunes are always offset by overgrown poverty. And it is poverty — poverty deep, dark, de basing — such as the country can form no conception of. Why is this wealth given but that this want may be relieved ? Go, dive down into these dark and damp cellars. Go, climb up these steep and rickety stairways, and enter the crazy old garret. Whom do you find there ? Old men and old women, going down to the grave in poverty — candidates for the Potter's field. The sun of their morning was, perhaps, as bright and joyous as yours. But O, how dark its setting! Go, let in a ray of sunshine. Their lantern jaws quiver now with hunger ; make them quiver with gratitude. Their long and bony fingers are feeling about in the darkness of despair. Speak to them of Jesus; bid them come to him who became poor, that they through his poverty might be made rich, and that dark countenance shall be lighted with the radiance of hope; those bony fingers shall be clasped with holy joy. Again, whom do you find in these cellars and garrets? Widows! What wonder if their children are dirty, ragged, wandering uncared for in the 300 SERMONS. streets ! That mother is engaged in a life-struggle. Poverty can be borne, but who can stand hunger? Famishing children are crying for bread. Every moment of life is with her a struggle to keep from starvation. Yes, and she will struggle on, every day growing more thin and weak, every day the light fading from her eye, hope dying in her heart, till at last she falls beneath her load, and, with the sorrow ful exclamation, " God pity my little ones !" the brave woman dies. And can this be in a Christian city, within call of Christian men and Christian women, who have an abundance and to spare? Does not this sad picture of want, and still sadder picture of neglect, belong to some heathen country, some land of darkness and barbarism? Would that we could make that plea! But, alas, my brethren, if the wail of that expiring agony has not entered our ears and touched our hearts it is because we have not chosen to listen to the sad, repulsive sound. Are there any such widows in this city? Any whose condition might be mitigated and whose bur den lightened by our liberality? Let me answer this question from the Annual Report of the Cincinnati Ladies' Home Mission for 1866. These noble ladies have districted our entire city, and made thousands of visits to poverty-stricken, desolate families. They have distributed clothing and food to the needy, and, while ministering to their physical wants, have striven to carry the bread of life to their starving souls. The effect has been divine. These ladies say : " The tears have coursed down many a furrowed cheek as penitents have told us that they were brought up by AN APPEAL FOR CITY MISSION-WORK. 301 pious parents, were accustomed to attend the Sunday school, and had at one time been members of the Church. Misfortunes fell upon them ; poverty and pride kept them from the sanctuary till they became gradually weaned from it. Lower and still lower they sank, till now they live a dreary, wretched life of sin and misery." But here is the touching picture which will answer the question whether there are in this city any such widows and any such homes of desolation as we have described : " We found two delicate, pretty chil dren sleeping on the bare floor, with only rags to cover them. There are six in the family. They have one shuck bed, one old sheet, one army blanket, one bench, on which a grown boy sleeps. The next room was occupied by a widow, who washed for her living, and tried to support her little ones in this way. She carried all the water she used about two squares, and then up stairs to her little room, where she washed. One day, after washing twelve dozen pieces, she laid down to die. None to take care of her but her children, she was taken to the hospital. As she was being taken out of the room, she turned her eyes on her four fatherless children, and the tears rolled down her Tace, while she was too weak to utter a farewell. She died soon after, and her overworked little girl soon followed her. Her few articles of old furniture and poor clothing were sold, her little boys put in the orphan asylum ; and thus ends the earthly history of one poor woman. But her history is the history of hundreds." Go, make that toiling widow's heart rejoice. 302 SERMONS. Minister to her earthly wants ; speak to her of the love of Jesus ; how he became poor, that we, through his poverty, might be rich. Go, do this. The day is coming, beloved brother, Christian sister — the day is coming when it shall comfort your own fainting heart to know that the blessing of him that was ready to perish is laid up in heaven to your account. Again, whom will you find in these cellars and garrets? Children. They are covered with rags, grimed with dirt, pinched with hunger. Their evil passions are uncurbed ; the sweet voice of holy love never falls upon their ears or touches their hearts. But brawling, and drunkenness, and profanity, and obscenity pollute the very atmosphere they breathe. Christian men and women, go to these little ones ; wash and scrape the grime from their countenances ; comb out their matted locks ; take off their filthy rags and clothe them. The off-cast garments of your own children will be royal apparel to them. Bring them into the Sunday school, and you shall save multitudes of them from being vagabonds in the earth — a curse to themselves and to the world. Nay, perhaps from among them you may gather here and there a gem that shall sparkle with immortal bright ness in the diadem of the blessed Redeemer. It is the testimony of those engaged in this work that no class of children, when once brought into the Sabbath school, seem to enjoy its privileges more, or join more heartily in singing our blessed Sunday school melodies. Nor is the effect confined to the Sunday school and the Sabbath. One of the missionaries, referring to one of the God-forsaken AN APPEAL FOR CITY MISSION-WORK. 303 neighborhoods of the city, says: "As I was driving along Harrison Road one evening toward the Brigh ton House, I noticed about half a dozen little girls sitting on the steps of a brewery, singing one of our Sunday school hymns. I drove up to the side-walk and joined with them, apparently to their great de light. As soon as they finished one piece they would commence another. The German women stopped to listen ; the men came out from the brewery ; the boys filled the steps, and seemed to enjoy the novel Sunday school. After singing four or five pieces, I asked them if they all went to Sunday school. ' Yes, yes,' they answered. ' Where do you go ?' ' Over to Blanchard Mission.' 'That is right. Good-by.' ' Good-by, preacher,' answered a dozen voices." Thus this city mission-work evokes the praises of God in places strange and novel, and from young hearts that had otherwise remained unblessed. Among the temporal ameliorations wrought by this Home Mission Society, there is one that must not be overlooked. It descends to the work of gathering up the little girls, of ages varying from six to fifteen or more, and teaching them to use the needle. And on Saturday afternoons hundreds of nimble fingers may be seen plying their gentle work, and at the same time learning practical lessons that shall largely contribute to the sum total of their life's happiness and usefulness. We spoke of this as a " temporal amelioration." May it not be in the largest sense also spiritual? The physical and the spiritual are so interblended in our very nature, as well as in all social organization, that no real 304 SERMONS. improvement can be made in the one without good coming to the other. During the thirteen years of the working time of this Society, more than ten thousand different chil dren have been enrolled upon its Sunday school records ; and over five hundred souls have been hope fully converted to God. Surely the seed, which has been sown broadcast through all those yearsl has not all perished. Some of it has taken root and borne fruit in spite of the stony ground and the choking thorns. Much of this Home mission-work is in local ities, that preclude the idea of the establishment of self-sustaining Churches. It is not only purely mis sion-ground — as purely as any that can be found in the lands of heathenism — but from the very nature of the case must remain so for many years, if riot for all coming time. They are the localities down into which vice, poverty, and misery gravitate ; but up out of which the Gospel brings men and women, when they are redeemed and clothed in their right mind. If the fruit is not apparent, the labor is not lost. Its blossoming promise is as grateful to the eye, and its divine fruitage is as precious in the sight of God as though garnered in the most costly and splendid temple. In referring again to the Report of the Ladies, I perceive that they already have planted six principal stations, with suitable lots and buildings for the work ; and that this has been accomplished at an outlay of about $50,000, the fruit and the evidence of the Chris tian liberality of our Churches in this city. " These," say they, " are purely mission points. Some of them • AN APPEAL FOR CITY MISSION- WORK. 305 can never be expected to become self-sustaining charges, unless some great change should take place in their respective neighborhoods. But they will con tinue to be proper fields for mission effort ; it may be they will need it more and more. Of other points we have good hope that they will become, erelong, self-sustaining charges. It is the policy of the Soci ety, as soon as that is the case, to transfer the con trol and management of the Church property to the respective societies. And while we bid Godspeed to those that have or may be able to set up for them selves, we will turn with a stronger heart and firmer purpose to break up new ground, and plant new schools and churches. We are determined that the work of redeeming and saving the masses in the for saken and degraded parts of our city shall go forward, and, with the blessing of God, increase from year to year. While we join in sending the Gospel to the heathen abroad, we will also strive to bring it to the heathen homes and heathen hearts to be found in our very midst." Nor have the Churches wearied in well-doing. For I see that $.10,000, nearly, have been contributed to this work during the past Conference year. Of their work, the ladies say in language as touching for its beauty as for its truth : " Ours is a work of toil and sacrifice. It brings no compensation of worldly honor or worldly pleasure. But we know that young hearts are made glad and grateful ; we know that sinners are redeemed to Christ and saved ; and we trust that the Master will look with approval upon us and upon our work. The most blessed reward we 26 306 SERMONS. can hope to receive will be, in the hour of our ex tremity, to hear Him say, ' Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.' " You say, brethren, " this is a good work. It ought to be done ; but I have my business to attend to ; it presses me every day. My heart is in the work; but I can 't spare the time." All true, brethren ; and it is for this very reason that the work has been committed to the noble Christian women who have carried it forward with so much success and use fulness. As you can not give yourselves to the work, give your means. Replenish the exhausted treasury of this city mission-work. Do it heartily as unto the Lord ; do it freely, and according as the Lord has given unto you. And then, not only to the ladies who work, but unto you who give, shall the divine Master say, " Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." If the season is unpropitious in its business as pects — as some of you say — trade diminishing, goods declining in value, and every thing betokening a severe strain upon the business nerve of the city, remember that the necessities and the wants of the work are all the greater because of that. In the scale, over against your diminishing profits, I place the increasing necessities of these poor souls. And in the name of the just Judge, I ask you which shall outweigh ? "Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, AN APPEAL FOR CITY MISSION- WORK. 307 that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he be came poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich." In his name, and for his sake, I hold up this eminent Christian charity before you ! I summon these tenants of poverty, darkness, and death into your presence ; I summon before you these toiling widows, and ask you to look upon the wasted form — the sad, sunken countenance — the long, bony fingers, whose very flesh has been worn away by unremitting toil and consuming want ; I gather up before you, in lengthened procession, these two thousand children, bright-eyed immortals, clouded with sin and death, and simply ask you to do like your Lord ! 308 SERMONS. XII. REWARDS OF CHRISTIAN EXERTION. "She hath done what she could." Mark xiv, 8. OUR Savior, having warned his disciples of his approaching end, and having finished those special counsels given them on the occasion, came with them to Bethany. Here resided Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead; also his two sisters, Martha and Mary. Here, also, resided Simon, who had probably been healed of his leprosy by Christ. In the society of these friends our Savior proposed to spend his last Sabbath upon the earth. A feast is prepared in honor of the visit of so dear a friend and so illustrious a guest. Here again the two sisters manifest the difference of their char acters in the manner in which they express their love and gratitude to Christ. The industrious Martha was busied with serving at the table, counting it an honor to be a servant at the feast where her loved Savior was a guest. . But Mary, filled with indescrib able emotions, and thinking no sacrifice too great wherewith to honor Christ, "having an alabaster box of very precious ointment," "she brake the box and poured it on his head," "and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her REWARDS OF CHRISTIAN EXERTION. 309 hair; and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment." This costly anointing, so contrary to all their notions of economy and prudence, filled the disciples with indignation. They could not appreciate the deep and holy feelings which had prompted the sacrifice. They knew that such outward demonstra tions of respect to his person had been uniformly avoided rather than sought by their Master. Hence, they said, "To what purpose is this waste? Fbr this ointment might have been sold for much and given to the poor." And Judas, who appears to have had special indignation, enters into an estimate of the value of the ointment thus wasted, and how much good it might have done had it been given- to the poor. The timid and sensitive Mary must have felt sorely wounded at these reflections. And perhaps she had begun to question within herself whether she had not been betrayed by her pious feelings into an act of indiscretion and extravagance. What a relief must she have experienced when she found herself approved and justified by her Lord and Master ! " Let her alone ; why trouble ye her ? She hath wrought a good work on me. For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good; but me ye have not always. She hath done what she could ; she hath come afore- hand to anoint my body to the burying." If Mary felt encouraged and relieved by this substantial mark of her Lord's approval, how must her heart have exulted while he added, "Verily I say unto you, 310 SERMONS. wheresoever this Gospel shall be preached through out the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her!" The world often judge of the labors and sacri fices of the servants of God by the same standard that is here set up. Nay, often the selfish, worldly- minded professor, contracted and narrow in his views, groveling and selfish in his aims, sets up the same standard and makes the same complaint. "Why is this waste ? Why the expenditure of so much money for the erection and beautifying of the church? Why so much to send the Gospel to the heathen, when there are so many poor and starving at home? Why give so much to the cause of Christ when worldly prudence would dictate that it should be laid up to provide against future want ? Why devote so much time to religious service and to works of mercy and love when business or domestic duties have such strong claims?" This is the reasoning of worldly policy in all ages. Had Mary acted upon reasonings like these, she would not, indeed, have incurred the censure of Judas ; but neither would she have received the approval of Christ. And the memorial of her love and her devotion would never ' have shed its fragrance and its loveliness over the Christian spirit and character of all ages. Let the world exercise its prudence and forethought; let it hoard riches and be crowned with honors ; but give me the memorial of Christian love. Let me all along the rugged pathway of life — let me in its closing scene but hear the approval of Heaven — "he hath done what he could!" It shall cheer my RE WARDS OF CHRISTIAN EXERTION. 3 1 1 rugged way; it shall dissolve the gloom of the dark valley; it shall enable my soul in holy triumph to cry out, " Labor is rest, and pain is sweet, If thou, my God, art here." We have selected this text as the foundation of a few remarks upon the rewards of Christian ex ertion. That God calls the Christian to a sphere of active duty and of high responsibility must be obvi ous to every reflecting mind. Every designation of Christian character is expressive of this. They are " co-workers " with Christ ; they are " lively stones " in the great spiritual temple of our God. The Chris tian is a contender in the race, striving to reach the goal ; he is a warrior, struggling against principalities and powers, his brow already flushed with dawning victory, and his hand outstretched to take the im mortal crown. The prospective rewards of labor cheer the laborer, no matter how humble the sphere of his toil. The prospect of the speedy completion of his building nerves the arm of the builder and makes it strong. Amid the toil and dust of the race the runner would sink down in weariness, but the prospect of reaching the goal inspires him with fresh courage ; he forgets his sweat and toil, and presses forward to the mark. Amid the din and carnage of the battle-field the warrior sees the ensigns of victory perched upon the banners of his country, and, forgetting his weariness and his wounds, he bounds forward to join in the mighty shout of triumph. 3 1 2 SERMONS. So it is well for the Christian, now and then, to look away from, or rather beyond toils and duties, cares and perils, to their rewards. The prospect shall kindle anew his ardor, shall make him forget weari ness and toil, shall make him feel that he fights not in vain ; for though he contends against principalities and powers, a throne and a dominion, of peerless majesty and of eternal duration, is the prize for which he contends. i. The first reward or encouragement to Chris tian exertion we shall mention is the Divine ap proval. It is said of Enoch, who walked with God and was translated so that he did not see death, that " before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God." The language of our text is a most clear and striking approval of the expression of Mary's love to the Savior, " She hath done what she could." The approval of the wise and the good in human society has ever been regarded as one of the great incentives to, as well as one of the most precious re wards of virtuous and beneficent deeds. The patriot will endure privation and hardship, exposure and danger, and sacrifice even life itself that he may be rewarded with his country's approval. How inex pressibly dear, then, must it be to the heart of the believer to be assured of the approval of Heaven ! To know that God is looking down, that angels are watching to see how thou toilest for thy God ! how thou strugglest along the highway of life, ever look ing upward and tending toward thy destiny ! to know that pure and holy intelligences approve thee in the REWARDS OF CHRISTIAN EXERTION. 313 conflict, and wait to crown thee conqueror, can not but awaken the most pleasing emotions in the soul. It was this consciousness of the approbation of God that sustained and rejoiced the heart of the great apostle in his toils and sufferings for the cause of Christ. Reviewing his afflictions and persecutions, he says : " For thy sake we are killed all the day long ; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter ;" we suffer " tribulation and distress, persecution, famine, and nakedness, peril, and the sword." But what then ? shall they separate us from the love of Christ ? " Nay, in all these things we are more than conquer ors, through Him that loved us." The approval of Christ can sweeten every toil, and render delightful every sacrifice we may be called to make in his service. This is to the Christian the noblest source of joy, and the richest reward. 2. Another reward or encouragement to Christian exertion may be found in the conscious satisfac tion IT AFFORDS. Whatever may have been the results of our efforts, whether successful or not, there is a conscious satis faction in having discharged our duty — in having done what we could. This conscious integrity and devotion afford an inward peace and satisfaction, not to be realized from the most successful of worldly schemes. " The work of righteousness shall be peace ; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever." Isa. xxxii, 17. Even the apostle could say, " Our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, 27 314 SERMONS. not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward." 2 Cor. i, 12. Here he recognizes the sincerity and earnestness of his devo tion to the cause of Christ as one of the sources of that sublime joy which filled, his soul. " Our rejoic ing is this" — not the greatness of our success, not the eloquence with which we have preached, not the honor in which we are held by the Church — these, indeed, might be a cause for joy ; but we have a higher cause — one more ennobling ! — it is the con sciousness that our duty has been done, that we have labored for Christ — done what we could. I would, my brethren, that I could make you realize to-day the worth and dignity of this feeling — a consciousness that we have done our duty — as a reward of Chris tian exertion ; one that appeals to the noblest prin ciples and can not fail to bring out the noblest elements of Christian character ! From the very constitution of our nature, we ex perience conscious gratification from the performance of every virtuous and holy act. Do we extend rehef to the hungry and naked ? do we visit the poor, the sick, and the fatherless ? The very act is attended with a sweet feeling of approbation, which amply compensates for all the toil. Have we stood upon the shore of the stormy ocean, while the shipwrecked mariner, amid the foaming waves, was struggling for life, and crying out for help ; and have we run to his relief, breasted the surges of the ocean, and rescued a fellow-mortal from a watery grave ? The joy is not merely that we have saved the life of a fellow-mortal ; RE WARDS OF CHRIS TIAN EXER TION. 3 1 5 but the consciousness of having done a noble act is a still richer reward to the soul. And is not the same conscious gratification — springing from the assurance we have done what we could — one of the most precious rewards of Christian labor? The Christian minister, who has toiled, and wept, and prayed ; who has mourned over the deso lations of Zion, labored to build up her waste places, and to crown her courts with joy ; who has raised a warning voice to the wicked — " turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die ?" — whatever may be the apparent result, such a minister will find inexpressible relief, and feel within himself a glow of heavenly satisfaction in the conscious assurance that he has done what he could. The pious Christian, intent only upon the glory of his God, and longing for the majesty and glory of the divine appearing, may toil in faith and hope — delaying not when others are cold and indifferent in the work — he will find, in his own soul, a deep under current of spiritual joy, a consciousness that he has done what he could. The Christian parent, praying and longing for the conversion of wicked and way ward children, even though the great object of his desires and prayers may not be realized, yet will he experience a conscious satisfaction in the effort he has made ! This sublime consciousness was illus trated in the closing scene of the life of David. Hear him exclaim, "Although my house be not so with God, yet hath he made with me an everlasting cov enant, ordered in all things, and sure." 2 Sam. xxiii, 5. Who would not prefer this conscious assurance that he has done his duty to all the temporary good 316 SERMONS. that can be attained by its neglect? Is ease enjoyed? no troubles about duty, no deep convictions of the necessity of Christian effort ? no sorrowings of soul over the desolations of Zion ? no yearnings of heart — such as cause tears to flow down and sleep to depart in the midnight watches ? Ah, my brethren, have any of you such ease as this ? O, consider the price at which it is purchased! the sacrifices — the sacri fices of high and holy joy that are made to obtain it ! And then say whether the simple conscious self-satis faction which springs from the discharge of Christian duty be not infinitely preferable to all the stolen pleas ures of neglected duty, or of perverted Christian life ! My brethren, you may not now in the midst of the bustling activity of life feel the force of these considerations as you will feel them by and by. In the future, when you tread the shores of the dark river ; from the midst of its silence and its gloom, you will look back along the line you have traveled; you will call up the motives and the doings of life. O, then, gold will have become as drops, and earthly honors lighter than vanity ; but it shall comfort you, it shall inspire you with strength for -your dread voy age, if there shall come up from all along the line of your past life, borne on the pinions of angelic memories, and thrilling like the music of heaven upon your dying ear — " he hath done what he could." God grant that such angel visitants may meet you, my brethren, at the swellings of Jordan ! 3. Another result secured by active exertion in the cause of Christ is found in Our own Spiritual Growth. REWARDS OF CHRISTIAN EXERTION. 317 It is a divine axiom that "he who watereth others, shall also be watered himself." The figura tive path of the Christian is "the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." Prov. iv, 18. And the Psalmist says, "They go from strength to strength ; every one of them appeareth in Zion before God," lxxxiv, 7. " The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree ; he shall grow like the cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age ; they shall be fat and flourishing," xcii, 12-14. Such also is the description of the prophet — " It will be as the dew unto Israel ; he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots like Lebanon. His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive- tree, and his smell as Lebanon. They that dwell under his shadow shall return ; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine ; the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon." Hosea xiv, 5-7. Whatever may be to others the result of our labors, even though they ' should prove a savor of death unto death, the effect with regard to ourselves will be certain and glorious. We shall not only rise in the enjoyment of the Divine favor, but there will alsb be within ourselves a development and growth of all our spiritual .faculties. Our faith will be made strong; our gifts and graces will be matured; we shall be planted in the house of the Lord ; we shall go from strength to strength, till we appear in Zion before God. I am aware that some take exceedingly narrow 318 SERMONS. views of the mission of the Gospel. They look upon it only as a means of escaping hell; and if they could escape hell in any other way, I fear they would attach but little value to the high and ennobling genius of the Gospel — its power to ennoble our humanity and nurture it for companionship with angels and with God. Look upon childhood — its innocence, its beauty, its dependence. Will you tell me that childhood is given simply that we may guard it from bodily ailments — may save it from dying? Is that all? Are not here the elements of growth, of expansion? Here, in embryo, is the future phi losopher who shall explore all mysteries ; the future hero, who shall gather his laurels from a hundred battle-fields ; the future poet, whose immortal verse shall thrill the ages. There is something more to be done with this child than merely to heal its child ish ailments and preserve it from death. Here is an embryo that is to grow up into manhood. Just so in the lineaments of the Christian character, I dis cover an embryo that is to grow up and ripen into angelhood. Thanks be unto God, the Gospel not only contemplates our salvation but our development ! We are to become as the angels of God! O, my brethren, shall we then be content to be babes when we ought to be men? Shall we remain dwarfed and stunted in those graces and attainments that ennoble the Christian character and do honor to Christ? I beseech you, then, my Christian brethren, by all that is desirable in exalted Christian attainments, by all that is beautiful in the image of Christ to win men, and by all that is strong in Christian virtue to bring REWARDS OF CHRISTIAN EXERTION. 319 back a lost world to its allegiance to God — by all this, I beseech you to go forth and labor for God ; scatter your seed by the side of all waters, and by and by you shall return bearing your sheaves with you and rejoicing. 4. Another of the rewards of Christian exertion is found in the success with which God crowns it. There is a power in the agencies of Divine grace, when they are rightly and perseveringly employed," which almost infallibly secures .success. Talk with the sinner ; his conscience is on your side ; it seconds and confirms your appeal. The Holy Spirit also comes to your aid; it convinces of sin and awakens the desire of pardon. Powerful agencies are cooper ating with you. The seed you are sowing shall take root. Long may it slumber in the earth ! The winds of many a long and dreary Winter may howl over it, and the ice-girt earth hold it in chains. But the Spring shall yet come; its genial warmth shall quicken into life the germ that had well-nigh per ished. Your labors are not in vain in the Lord. How often have the prayers of a pious mother followed a profligate, wayward son through all his paths of folly and wickedness, till at length, when hope had almost expired, he has been brought to Christ and redeemed from sin and death! I have somewhere read an account of a pious mother whose only son was a roving wanderer upon the ocean. She was deeply afflicted on account of his irreligious and thoughtless life, and made him the burden of her constant prayers. Many were the agonizing and also believing prayers sent up to 320 SERMONS. God in his behalf, and yet seemingly without re sponse. Years rolled away, and that mother was on the verge of the grave. Just then her prodigal son returned to pay her a visit. After an affecting meet ing, the hardy sailor, gazing upon the pallid counte nance of the dying mother, said, "You are near port, mother, and I hope you will have an abundant entrance." She replied, " Yes, my child, the fair haven is in sight, and soon, very soon, I shall be landed ' On that peaceful shore Where pilgrims meet to part no more.' " " You have weathered many a storm in your passage, mother ; but now God is dealing very graciously with you by causing the winds to cease, and by giving you a calm at the end of the voyage." " God has always dealt graciously with me, my son; but this last expression of his kindness in permitting me to see you before I die, is so unexpected that it is like a miracle wrought in answer to prayer." " O, mother," exclaimed the sailor, weeping as he spoke, "your prayers have been the means of my salvation, and I am thankful that your life has been spared till I could tell you of it." The sainted mother listened with deep interest and heavenly composure to the account of his conversion, so manifestly the result of her long-continued and agonizing prayers, and then, taking his hand, she pressed it to her dying lips and said, "Yes, thou art a faithful God, and I can now say, ' Now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation.' " O, what a rich reward for the toils and conflicts REWARDS OF CHRISTIAN EXERTION. 32 1 through which that praying mother had passed! And is there a Christian here who would not deem it an abundant reward for the most trying service to be the instrument of bringing a single soul to God? Even though the Christian should go down to the grave without realizing the result of his labors, yet the word of God remaineth sure. The seed sown by you may bud and blossom long after you are gath ered to the tomb. Some years since I witnessed the conversion of a wicked and wayward middle-aged man. His mother had been a woman eminent for her piety in the Wesleyan Church in England. She had gone down to the grave mourning over her way ward son. In his wanderings over the world he came to the city of New York, and there was arrested by the grace of God. His conversion was one of over whelming power, and the evidence bright and glori ous. " My mother's prayers," he exclaimed, •• are answered at last." And then he anxiously inquired, " Do you think she knows it ?" Just then a vision came up before me. I remembered that the angels of God are all ministering spirits, and that there is joy among them over one sinner that repenteth. I seemed to see the glorified bending over the battle ments of heaven to catch the glad news of a sin ner saved ascending up from our sin-cursed earth. Among them was one face that beamed with more ecstatic joy, and one voice that rung out with a clearer and louder strain than all the rest. Yes, sainted mother, thy prayers are answered at last ; thy son is saved ; Satan strove long and hard, but thy faith has prevailed. 322 SERMONS. • How full of" encouragement to the Christian, whose soul is burdened for the souls of men, and whose daily prayer is, " O Lord, revive thy work !" how en couraging, we say, to such to know that the promise of God remaineth sure ! Like as the dew descends upon mountain, so comes the promise to his soul — " Your labor is not in vain in the Lord ;" " when Zion travails she shall bring forth." The assurance of a harvest to him who will sow is not more sure than this promise of God to his people. Some years since, in a central portion of the State of New York, a pious woman began to be exercised about sinners. She was often in an agony of soul for their conver sion, so that groans and tears gushed from her. She hardly knew why she was so exercised ; but she kept praying more and more ; and often her agony in prayer was so great that it seemed as though her soul would break away from her body. All at once the tempest in her soul was calmed ; her agony was gone ; she was filled with unutterable joy, and ex claimed, " God has come ! God has come ! there is no mistake about it ; the work is begun, and is going all over this region !" — was that a prophecy, or was it a divine witness ? Sure enough, the .work had be gun. From that very day it went forward like fire consuming the dry stubble, till it had spread over all that region, and multitudes of souls — whose number is recorded only in heaven — were converted to Christ. My brethren, among you may there be many an ag onizing soul that shall cry out after God — even the living God ! 5. But I must close with one more enumeration REWARDS OF CHRISTIAN EXERTION. 323 in the catalogue of the rewards of Christian exer tion — a more glorious exaltation in heaven. " Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have a right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." Rev. xxii, 14. It is glorious to enter heaven — to tread the streets of the celestial city — to behold its pearly gates and goodly palaces — to stand upon the banks of the river of the water of life — to pluck the fruit of the tree of life — to look up to the broad, unclouded ex panse of those heavens illuminated by the presence of the Lord God and the Lamb — to feel, thrilling all through our veins, the pulsings of a new and unend ing life — to soar with quickened intellect and go forth to solve the great problems of the universe of God — to look upon, even though it be in the distance, the great army of martyrs and Christian heroes, "who through faith subdued kingdoms," having "turned to flight the armies of the aliens" — to behold, in un clouded light, the angels, those first-born sons of God — but, above all, to have the whole soul filled, penetrated, etherealized with those emanations of in effable glory which flow along forever from the Un created and the Eternal to the souls of the just made perfect in heaven ! It is glorious, indeed, to be permitted only to enter heaven ; infinitely more than any of us do or can deserve. And I wonder not that Christians, pen etrated with this humbling consciousness and feeling that they are not worthy even of entering heaven at all — I wonder not that we often hear them say they shall be satisfied with a low seat, some little and 324 SERMONS. obscure corner in heaven. It is true, my brother, even this is more than you deserve ; but still, if you may have more than this, and if higher glory will come to Christ and higher bliss to yourself by your obtaining more, why should you not strive to obtain more ? You are not satisfied with low Christian at tainments on earth ; why then should you be satisfied with low attainments in heaven ? You are not satis fied with beggarly poverty here, but are ever strug gling upward. This is noble, manly. It is a craven, not a humble spirit that would shrink back from the struggle, even though beset by a thousand trials. Why then should we be satisfied" with small results in the religious life — whether those results relate to earth or heaven ? I fear after all that this is a mis taken humility. For my part, I want all my patri mony ; I want to enjoy the full measure of bliss my Heavenly Father has provided for me ; I want to glorify him by attaining to the full growth of my immortal manhood. The apostle tells us that even in heaven "one star differeth from another star in glory." There are degrees in glory — stars of different magnitudes. I look up to our nocturnal sky ; stars without num ber stud the firmament. But behold, among them stars resplendent — Arcturus with his sons, Orion with its bands, and Sirius with its fervid heat. How they illuminate the heavens ! Strike these majestic stars from the firmament, and it would lose half its . glory. Just so with the celestial sky. It seems to me I hear a voice from heaven. It calls for stars to gem the celestial, firmament. O, REWARDS OF CHRISTIAN EXERTION. 325 for stars of the first magnitude to shine forth in the diadem of the dear Redeemer! Brethren, what re sponse shall we send back? Any stars of the first magnitude being formed here? Any immortal soul thirsting to know all the fullness of God? God grant that stars, stars of the first magnitude, may be trans ferred, even from this sanctuary, to shine with un clouded brightness in the firmament of heaven for ever and ever! " They that be wise," says the prophet, " shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever." Dan. xii, 3. Remember, then, my Christian brother, that your Christian life and labor here is to affect your heavenly life hereafter. The influence of your Christian exertion, no matter how humble the sphere in which it is exercised, no matter how barren of present results it may seem to be, that influence is to run forward along all the line of your eternal being. O, who would not wish to stand by the side of Wes ley or of Whitefield and feel the thrill of holy joy they experience as they look down upon the mighty host of their spiritual children, ever increasing in number as the years roll on, and coming up from all lands to swell the triumph of the Redeemer's reign! O, who would not like to stand by the side of a Watts or of a Charles Wesley, the sweetest songsters of our earthly Zion, and catch the inspira tion of those new melodies — more glorious than any ever sung on earth — that burst forth from their im mortal tongues, inspiring even the angels of God to tune anew their golden harps to the Redeemer's 326 SERMONS. praise! O, who would not like to hold communion with the seraphic Fletcher and the sainted Payson, as amid the blaze of heavenly light, in the presence of the seraphim and the cherubim, the lifting up of their hands in exultant joy is seen ! "A low seat in heaven!" "an obscure and little corner in paradise !" Let us rather struggle for all our heavenly patrimony; let us strive for the full attainment of -our immortal manhood. "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; foras much as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." And in that approaching hour, when life's labor is done, and your feet are pressing the shore of the dark river, may there come the Divine testimony whispered by angels in your dying ear, to cheer you in the lonely and silent voyage, " He hath done what he could!" REDEMPTION BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. 327 XIII. REDEMPTION BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. AN ANNIVERSARY DISCOURSE, PREACHED AT THE GARRET BIBLICAL INSTITUTE, JUNE 20, 1858. " But Christ being come a high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, that is to say, not of this building ; neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, he entered once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for its" . . . " Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with the blood of others ; for then must he often have suf fered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." Heb. ix, 11, 12; 25, 26. OUR text, though embodying the very marrow of the Gospel, is a mere fragment from one of the most elaborate and convincing discussions of the great Apostle to the Gentiles. In this discus sion he brought all the powers of his gigantic intel lect — quickened as they were by the inspiration of Heaven — to the elucidation of the relations between the old and the new dispensations, that he might ex alt the preciousness of the redemption of the Gospel. Under the former dispensation there was an altar and a tabernacle made with hands ; there was a priest hood chosen from among men ; and there were sac rifices offered daily upon the altar, while the high priest, with blood other than his own, entered yearly 328 SERMONS. into the holy place to make atonement for his own sins and for the sins of the people. Yet all these were inadequate to make him that did the service perfect. The second dispensation also had its altar, its tabernacle, its priest, and its sacrifice ; but they were all combined in Him who once in the e7id of the world appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of hi77iself. The doctrine of redemption by the blood of Christ is a prevailing element of Judaism as well as of Christianity. The types and shadows of the law were only the precursors of " good things to come ;" the Temple itself only pointed the way to " a greater and more perfect tabernacle ;" the priestly office only to the unchanging priesthood of Christ ; the sacri fices offered upon the altar, to "the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all ;" and the interces sions of the high priest as he entered the holy of holies to the intercessions of our great High Priest who has entered "into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us." So all-pervading, even in the earlier dispensation, is this grand central truth of the Bible — redemption by the blood of Je sus — that no prophet inspired by God looks down through the coming ages, but upon the broad field of his vision, " Immanuel " — God with us — appears. This faith was the refuge of God's people in the time of trial, and the most afflicted of them all could say, " I know that my Redeemer liveth." It was also the burden of their song in the day of their triumph and joy. Rapt in the inspiration of this mighty theme, the Psalmist calls upon all the inhabitants of the REDEMPTION BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. 329 earth to come and listen while he proclaims in heav enly strains that " the redemption of the soul is precious." Does any one inquire why the full dawn of the Gospel day was so long delayed ? why the world was suffered to remain so many ages in the dim twilight of Judaism ? why, only after the lapse of four thou sand years, and " in the end of the world," the great Sacrifice for sin was offered up ? This question has perplexed and troubled many an inquiring mind. But, at the very outset, let us observe one fact ; and that is this — so far as the efficiency of the atonement is concerned, in its application to the race or to indi viduals of the race, it mattered not whether it were offered at the very moment of man's fall, or at any subsequent period. From the very first moment of man's first transgression, that atonement was as pow erful to save as when, in later ages, extended between heaven and earth, a spectacle to angels and to men, the bleeding victim appeared, a sacrifice for sin. This being granted, no one can fail to discover reasons for preparation and delay. It was necessary that the sins and sufferings of the race through long ages should demonstrate the deep, deadly, and last ing virulence of man's spiritual disease. It was nec essary that the utter failure of all his schemes and efforts for self-amelioration should demonstrate the necessity of help from some higher source. Man himself also was to be developed and brought up to that stage of progress when he might be able to comprehend that which is spiritual, when philosophy and science could investigate, and when art and 28 330 SERMONS. history could make a perfect and permanent record of those sublime events that consummated the scheme of Divine mercy. Also preparatory means were nec essary, so that when Christ came there might be full authentication of his character and mission. Hence the types and shadows of the law. Hence those sublime and unmistakable predictions of the prophets reaching down through long ages to their fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ. And hence, indeed, the whole Jewish dispensation ; for this was only preparatory to the inauguration of the new and bet ter day. For every sacrifice that smoked on Jewish altars pointed to and was but the precursor of the Great Sacrifice to be offered in the fullness of time once for all. Thus was the law " our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ." The grand central truth of all revelation, then, is redemption by the blood of Christ. All else, whether of art, of science, of philosophy, of poetry, or his tory, or biography, or the mysterious enunciations of prophecy — all else are subsidiary to this. The thun der, and lightning, and darkness of Sinai are only designed to lead the soul to the milder glories of Calvary and the Cross. Archangel never winged his flight from heaven to earth with a holier message than that which heralded the advent of the Messiah and the redemption of the world. It constitutes at once the foundation of the believer's strength and hope in the time of his pilgrimage, and the song of the blood-washed before the throne of God in heaven. We propose to discuss the nature, necessity, and REDEMPTION BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. 33 I reality of redemption by Jesus Christ. O, that the majesty and glory of the wondrous theme might in spire our faith and fill our souls, that we "may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and hight; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that we may be filled with all the fullness of God." Ephesians iii, 18, 19. I. And, first, let us endeavor to define the nature of redemption as ascribed to the blood of Christ. Redemption implies the recovery of property or of persons by the payment of an equivalent. It in volves the substitutio7i of equivale7its. This substitu tion of equivalents is seen in all the transactions of society ; in the exchange of silver for produce to be had in the market ; of gold for land ; of service for wages ; of fines imposed for trespass ; imprisonment for misdemeanor ; or death as an expiation for capital offense. As applied to individuals, it is seen where one becomes security for the debts of another, or pays the fine of another, or in any way stands in the place of others to bear their responsibilities. Redemption is perfectly analogous to all this. The debt or penalty is assumed by a third party out of pure compassion or from a friendly desire to aid the condemned, and be cause the obligation transcends their ability. A son becomes bankrupt — has no means wherewith to pay his debts ; the father comes in, assumes the obliga tion, and cancels the debts. In this transaction the law is vindicated, and the ends of justice secured, though there is an entire substitution of persons. So among the Jews ; if one became impoverished 332 SERMONS. and -parted with his paternal inheritance or his per sonal liberty, a near kinsman, though in no way held for the debt, might assume it and thus redeem the man or his inheritance. Such is the practical form in which the great work of redemption is sym bolized. The ancient Jew redeeming his kinsman was the type; the Lord Jesus Christ from heaven redeeming the soul was the great antitype. There may be speculative questions growing out of this subject which will puzzle and bewilder the skeptic and the rationalist — questions too deep to be solved by human philosophy. But practically, this is all we need to know. * The sinner, conscious of his guilt and condemnation, though he may not be able to comprehend the Divine philosophy of redemp tion, nevertheless, receiving the great fact that Jesus Christ hath been set f rorth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, . . . for the remissio7i of sius that are past, he may " be made the righteousness of God in him," and thus " not perish, but have ever lasting life." II. But wherein consists the necessity of redemp tion? It consists, my friends, in the same principle of right and honesty, which forbids your buying without paying, which forbids your taking the prop erty of another without returning an equivalent. Nor are you acquitted when you take that property and squander it, so as to place it out of your power to pay. The self-destruction of either natural or gracious ability can not cancel moral obligation. Else a man might make his very vileness a road to heaven. REDEMPTJON BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. 333 But why may not God pardon the sinner of his own clemency, unconditionally,, and without redemp tion? If this shall be the Divine procedure, if God shall do this, why the necessity of law, or penalty, or government at all? Pardon without justifica tion — that is, without vindicating in some way the law — is an abrogation of law. If "the law is holy, just, and good," the administrator can not voluntarily fail in its administration without impairing his own righteousness. God can not be "just" unless he administer justice. Again, if the law is made void, there is nothing that stands firm. There is no throne left, no authority, nothing to move the con science, nothing to vindicate right. Under such a system we should lose all sense of obligation and all fear of punishment. All restraints would be re moved ; all control taken away. The depraved and lawless would scoff at God, and heaven, and purity. Again, the necessity of redemption by Christ is apparent from the inability of man to make atone ment for himself. Redemption implies three things: first, that the offense against the law be removed by satisfying in some way the just demands of that law ; secondly, that the injury done to others or the evil produced in the universe by the transgression be remedied; and thirdly, that the disposition or tend ency to repeat the offense be removed. Any thing which does not accomplish these three objects falls below the true idea of redemption. But either of these ends is as little within the power of a finite and fallen creature as would be the creation of a world. If a man commits, a specific wrong against 334 SERMONS. his neighbor, and has the zvill and the ability to make restitution, he needs the intervention of no third party; he can atone for his own wrong. But if the amount of the wrong exceeds his ability, if he has nothing wherewith to pay, then, without the assistance of some friend able to make restitution, the obligation and the guilt would remain forever uncanceled. The simple question here is, how much does the man owe, and how much is he able to pay? The measure of man's obligation to God as he stood in his unfallen state, was the consecration of all his powers, and that through all time. Now suppose a man has simply failed to do this, how is it possible for him to make amends for the delinquency? He may resolve to reform, to renew the service of God, to consecrate all his powers to him, but he only does present duty — only does what he would have been obligated to do if he had never sinned. His present obedience, then, in the very nature of things, can never atone for past sin. I have before me a delicate and important piece of mechanism to be constructed. It will require the entire week, and within that week it is indispensable it should be done. I find a suitable mechanic. He agrees to do the work — that is, for a specified com pensation, he comes under obligation to devote to my service the entire week. But when the first working day of the week comes, my workman does not appear. The day wears away; it is gone, and the work is not commenced. By this delinquency the man has not only broken his obligation, and for feited his contract, but he has placed it absolutely REDEMPTION BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. 335 out of his power ever to fulfill the terms of that contract. He may come the second day and con tinue to the last, but the rendition of five days in stead of six after all leaves him with obligations unfulfilled. It is well he has done so much, but this can never atone for what he has not done. Such is the condition of the sinner. His whole life conse crated to God, at all times and to the full extent of his powers, was what he owed to God. But, alas ! how large a portion of that life has been spent! Say you now, when but a hundredth part remains, with that you will redeem the whole? Go to your creditor when you have squandered the ninety and nine and offer him the hundredth dollar of his claim. Will he accept it and cancel your obligations ? Nay, verily, he may accept the hundredth, but he will sternly inquire, "Where are the ninety and nine?" Nor is this all. Let me state a common fact. You loan a sum of money. At the end of the year you claim not only the capital loaned, but also the interest; to the one your claim is as just as to the other. So God has made us capable of improve ment. Every virtuous deed tends to enlarge the soul's capacity, thus perpetually increasing our capa bilities of more glorious and exalted service. All this is due to God. But what is the condition of the sinner? A debtor, he not only fails to render interest, but even the principal has been squandered in his hands, till, alas! it is nearly all wasted and gone. But even this is not all. Perhaps my recreant workman has spent the day in dissipation, and when 336 SERMONS. he comes, after his waste of time, to the place and work agreed upon, his nervous system is so shaken that he is no longer competent to perform the work. Here, then, is an additional and insurmountable obstacle in the way of his meeting his obligations. So is it, also, with the sinner. Sin has polluted the soul, enfeebled its powers, and darkened its spiritual vision. There is now not only legal condemnation, but spiritual disability. Tell me that such a being can atone for himself, can heal himself? As well might you expect the leopard to cleanse his spots, or the Ethiopian to change his skin! To crown the whole of this difficulty, the sinner lacks the dispositio7i, even if" he had the power, to amend his ways. Having once departed from God, there is no disposition to return. All his tendencies are to go farther and still farther away. Such is the universal law every-where manifest. The fire that has seized upon the dwelling has of itself no tend ency to go out but to bii7'n up. The planet which has burst away from its orbit has no tendency to come back, but rather to fly still farther into the distant regions of space. . The tendency of a disease of the body is to the destruction of that body. So, also, the inevitable tendency of spiritual disease is to the destruction of the soul. The very laws which crown obedience with life and blessing visit disobedi ence with wrath and destruction. But even yet we have not probed this difficulty to the bottom. The influence of sin is not restricted to the sinner. Man is not isolated. He is a part of a great system, and the influence of his action REDEMPTION BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. 337 extends to other creatures, affecting their lives, and characters, and destinies to an untold extent. If, then, he would atone for his sins he must not only recover himself to perfect obedience, and repair the evil done to his own moral nature by sin, but he must go beyond this ; he must in some adequate and ostensible form make compensation for the evil he has done to the moral universe of God. Were God to justify the sinner on any grounds short of these, it would undermine the very founda tions of his moral government in the universe. But how impossible is it for the sinner to fulfill these conditions! He might as well attempt to scale heaven by a rope of sand, or by piling mountain upon mountain to the skies. Nay, as well might he attempt to pluck down Omnipotence itself. How then, sinner, wilt thou escape ? Become obedient and penitent if you will ; but, O, who shall claim for thee forgiveness of sins that are past ? who shall restore thy lost brightness and purity of soul ? who shall trace back thy devious path, search out and cancel all the hidden evil influences that have flowed out from thee, and for long years have been poison ing the virtue and ruining the souls of men ? who shall make compensation for the wrong done to the whole moral universe of God by thy rebellion ; who shall heal the deadly malady of thine own soul ? Thanks be unto God, there is help and hope ; for when we were without stre7igth, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. Thus are we brought back, by the very con victions of reason and by the necessities of our 29 338 SERMONS. condition, to the all-glorious truth that Christ Jesus died to save si7mers. III. We have endeavored to show the nature and the necessity of redemption. We come now to the question of its reality. No one can have failed to notice the early and distinct recognition, in the Bible, of sacrifice — of shedding blood as an atonement for sin. Even in the time of Moses it was declared, " For the life of the flesh is in the blood; a7id I have give7i it to you up07i the altar to make a7i at07ie7ne7it for your souls ; for it is the blood that maketh «« atoneme7it for the soul!' Lev. xvii, ii. Seven hundred years before the Savior came, in prophetic anticipation, it is said, "He was wounded for our tira7isgressio7is ; he was bruised for our iniquities, . . . a7id the Lord hath laid 071 him the iniquity of us all." Isa. Iiii, 5, 6. His life was " made an offering for sin ;" he " bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the trans gressors." What is this but the poetry of redemp tion, gushing forth from the sublimest of all the bards of Israel as his rapt soul surveyed the vision of Cal vary and the cross ? But if Isaiah, in his burning periods, gives us the poetry of redemption, St. Paul gives us its logic in words that glow and burn with intensest ardor — " Being freely justified by his grace, through the re demption that is in Christ Jesus ; whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God ; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness ; that REDEMPTION BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. 339 he might be just, and the justifier of him which be lieveth in Jesus." Rom. iii, 24-26. Analyze this logic. Jesus Christ is "set forth" — publicly pro claimed before angels and men — as a propitiation; and thus he declares the righteousness of God. For if the law is vindicated ; if compensation — -full and adequate — is made in the moral universe of God for guilty man's infraction of its order, surely the right eousness of God is maintained, while at the same time his mercy and his long-suffering forbearance are manifested. It is not through the teaching, the ex ample, the wisdom, the power, but through "the redemption that is in Christ Jesus," that we have justification and eternal life. " For when we were without strength" — when we were without power to make atonement for ourselves ; "in due time" — when all the schemes of human wisdom for the ameliora tion of the race had been tested and failed, and four thousand years of sin and suffering had demonstrated the deadly nature of man's spiritual disease — " Christ died for the ungodly." Nor does the apostle leave us in doubt when, and where, and how the work of redemption was consum mated by Christ. The Jewish high priest entered the holy place with blood other than his own — with the blood of bulls and of calves, "for every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices ;" where fore it was also necessary that "this man" — our high" priest, who is now passed into the heavens — should " have somewhat also to offer ;" " wherefore, when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offer ing thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared 340 SERMONS. me," and hence " he bore our sins in his own body on the tree." Nor was it necessary " that he should offer himself often, for then must he have often suf fered since the foundation of the world ; but now, once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." Thus was Jesus made the surety of a better " testament ;" thus hath he "an unchangeable priesthood," and needeth not daily, like the high priest, to offer up sacrifices for the sins of the people ; " for this he did once, when he offered up himself." When the Jewish priest had fulfilled his mission, he died and was gathered to his fathers ; his functions as a priest then ceased, and he could make atonement for sins no more. "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sin, forever sat down at the right hand of God ;" he en tered " into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us." In the light of this Di vine philosophy we can comprehend why the apostle should say, "ye are not your own, for ye are bought with a price" — i Cor. vi, 19, 20; and also why an other apostle should give intensity to the value of that redemption — "ye are not redeemed with cor ruptible things, as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ" — 1 Pet. i, 18; also the depth and comprehensive significance of that utter ance of Divinity, as he lays the bleeding victim upon the altar, " I have found a ransom." , But, my brethren, to cut short this line of argu ment, let us notice the significant fact, that among the titles applied to Christ, is that of redeemer. Did you ever fully comprehend the significance of this REDEMPTION BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. 34I simple fact ? Whatever other terms of honor or dig nity might be applicable to him, this title could not be unless he filled the office and performed the func tions of a redeemer. If he taught the people, we might speak of him as our teacher ; if he gave us an example in all moral purity, we might call him our example. But unless he has paid a redemption-price and performed an act of redemption, we could not call him our redeemer. The fact that this title is applied to Christ by Divine authority — the fact that he is styled Redeemer, taken especially in connection with the illustrations of the redemption act contained in the Bible itself, is utterly inexplicable on any other ground than that the Savior actually filled the office and performed the functions of a redeemer. This simple fact rises to the majesty of demonstration. In truth, the titles of Christ are all significant of his office. Is he called " Shiloh ?" it is because he was sent forth — the apostle of God. Is he called "Immanuel?" it is because he is God with us. Is he called " Fountain ?" it is because all the springs of salvation find their source in him. Is he called "the Tree of Life?" it is because upon his branches fruit is borne for the healing of the nations. Is he "the Bread of Life?" it is because he is that bread which came down from heaven, of which, if a man eat, he shall live and not die. Is he called the " Corner-Stone," and the " Foundation ?" it is because other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, Jesus Christ being the chief corner-stone. Is he called the " Bride groom?" it is because the Church, all glorious in her 342 SERMONS. brightness and purity, has been espoused by him. Is he called a " Sun ?" it is because he shines away our darkness. A " Shield ?" it is because he is the protector of his people. A " Potentate ?" it is because all power, in heaven and in earth, has been com mitted to him, and he is the Lord of lords and the King of kings. Is he called the " Resurrection ?" it is because he hath burst the bars of death, ascended victorious from the tomb, and become the first-fruits of them that slept. And is he also called a "Re deemer?" it is because now once in the end of the world he hath appeared to put away sin by the sac rifice of himself. What a mine of glorious truth, then, do we find hidden in a single word! The cross, the atonement, the intercession, the heavenly triumph — all are im bedded here. All that is wondrous in the manifesta tions of Divine mercy, all that is glorious in the hope and the deliverance of the sinner, and all that is mysterious — exciting the wonder and challenging the search of angels — in the reconciliation of man to God, shine forth in this appellation of Christ so ex pressive of his office and work. It was the an nouncement of Jesus as the Redeemer of a lost and ruined race of mortals that tuned the lyres of. angels to a new and sweeter melody. Redemption is the key-note of the mighty anthem of praise to God and the Lamb sung by the innumerable multitude of the just made perfect in heaven. Thanks be to God that Jesus comes bearing this badge of his office upon his very front, that I may recognize him not only as my prophet and my king, but also as my REDEMPTION BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. 343 Redeemer! No high-sounding title by which his praise is hymned among the thrones of heaven can ever be so precious to the ransomed sinner as that which breaks his fetters, removes his guilt, and lifts him up on high. Redeemer and redemption ! — it .is the very music of the skies, floating down from heaven and breaking on the ear of mortals. Angels commenced the song, but mortals have learned the strain, and, like the voice of many waters, it rolls down through all ages and out over all lands. On ward shall it roll till all its heavenly melodies become blended in the sublime anthem of the redeemed in « heaven. When the Greeks heard of the overthrow of the Macedonian invader, the whole nation, it is said, sent up a shout — Swrrjp ! Siottjp ! — Savior ! Savior ! — so loud that the birds flying through the air fell down as though they were shot. What was fable with the delivered Greek should become fact with the re deemed sinner. " Redeemer ! Redeemer !" let the mighty shout ring through earth and sky. " Salva tion to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb!" "All hail the power of Jesus' name ! Let angels prostrate fall ; Bring forth the royal diadem, And crown him Lord of all !" Thus do we find redemption by the blood of Christ to be not only the all-pervading truth of all revelation, but the grand end for which all revelation is made. It was the star of hope that arose in the promise of God upon the moral darkness of our 344 SERMONS. world when it was desolated and ruined by sin. It was the great theme of the ancient prophets and the burden of every prophecy. The symbols and types of Judaism heralded this coming redemption. It was imbedded in the faith of the holy men of old; it burst forth in the melody of their sacred songs, in spiring them with a power all divine. The scenes of Calvary and the cross, the resurrection from the dead, the tongue of fire that not only crowned the apostles but glowed in their ministry, the triumphs of Christianity, the believer's victory over sin and death, and the mighty song of the redeemed in heaven— all proclaim that "this is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." i Timothy i, 15. This is the truth above all others pregnant with hope to sinful and sorrowing humanity. What matters it though the skeptic and the un believer scoff at this truth ! What though the self- sufficient pretender, who makes his own clouded intellect the gauge and standard of all truth, rejects it! . What though the caviler should cover it all over with difficulties and objections which neither his nor my feeble intellect has power to solve! Coming as it does with the warrant of Almighty God for its truth, heralded to earth as it was by angels, enthroned as it is in the life and death of Jesus, breathing as it does a Divine life into the soul, thus bearing the impress of the Divinity in its origin and the seal of the Godhead in its fruits, I can not, I will not doubt its truth. It reaches up to heaven. Its philosophy is that of God and not of REDEMPTION BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. 345 man ; its power is infinite as its virtue is exhaustless. Angels in vain strive to penetrate its mysteries and comprehend its glories. " It is the science and song of eternity." And in the ages of coming eternity, when thrones shall have crumbled and kingdoms passed away, when the earth itself shall be almost forgotten amid the dim and receding recollections of the past, then shall the great mystery of Calvary and the cross be still the theme of our wonder and the burden of our song. Though I have already detained you long, yet I can not close without bringing the subject more directly home to ourselves in a few practical re marks. 1. And, first, we have here a most glorious and en dearing 7'evelation of God. There are wondrous exhi bitions of the character of God in the works of nature. He " setteth forth the mountains, being girded with power ;<< he " stretcheth out the heavens like a cur tain," and "walketh upon the wings of the wind." But I see not his glory revealed in nature as it is revealed in Christ. We might have ranged the vast ness of creation forever, and sounded all the myste ries of divine Providence, without ever learning that truth — all important to our guilty consciousness — whether there is forgiveness with the Most High ; whether God is placable ; and, in fine, whether God is approachable ! But here, in this sublime mys tery of redemption — in front of all, and towering high above all — we find that wonder of angels and 346 SERMONS. paradox of mortals — God manifest in the flesh ! He comes down, so to speak, into personal sympathy with humanity ; he is in Christ reconciling the world unto himself. Through this divine channel he pours the full and brimming tide of his compassion around all the misery of a wrecked and ruined world. Nay, he comes into our very hearts — once so filled with all enmity and vileness — and becomes there a fountain of purity and love, springing up unto eternal life. This is the revelation of God most needed by the soul ; the revelation of his beauty, his truth, his love. It is the revelation of his mercy ; the unbosoming of his compassion. It is not only God revealed, but it is God revealed through man, so that we might comprehend the depth and power of his sympathy, and take shelter for our guilty souls in the bosom of his love. It is God so identifying himself with our race as to demonstrate the possible union and identi fication of our nature with his in the elements of purity and felicity. O ! what a revelation of God is this ! The Infinite coming down into fellow»sympa- thy with the finite that it might be drawn up into himself! Almighty power coalescing with infinite weakness that it might be made strong ; the gar nered storehouse of eternity pouring out its opulence to supply the destitute and perishing ; mercy — such as dwells only in the bosom of God — spreading her snowy wing over the dark scene of human sin and suffering that the defenseless victim might have de liverance and salvation. Thus, my brethren, would I ever have God revealed to me ; not as when his voice was uttered from the midst of the black darkness of REDEMPTION BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. 347 Sinai, with vivid flash of lightning and terrific peal of thunder, but I would hide me in the cleft of the everlasting Rock, that as the Lord passed by I might, with Moses, hear his voice proclaiming, "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, and transgression, and sin." Ex. xxxiv, 6, 7. 2. We have a method of salvation adapted to the conditio7i and wa7its of the sinner. Wherever the consciousness of sin exists in our universal nature, there exists along with that consciousness its essen tial counterpart — a desire for its mitigation ; or, in other words, there is a conscious need of deliverance, of atonement — or, as we may express it, at-one-ment, which is simply reconciliatio7i with God. This at-one- ment implies, first, pardon — full, free, and perfect — by which the legal obstructions to a union with God are taken out of the way ; second, 7noral renovation of the soul, by which it is restored to the image of God, and the obstruction to its salvation growing out of its diseased moral nature is removed ; third, com pensation for the injury done in the moral universe of God. On no condition short of this could recon ciliation with God be effected. Our very conscious ness of right demands that God shall not require less. Redemption, then, becomes necessary to atonement. Had Christ come only as our teacher, to tell us what we ought to do ; as our example after which we should pattern in all purity and love ; had he come as such only, his mission must have proved a failure, and black ruin and despair must have settled down 348 SERMONS. upon our race forever ; for man, hearing and seeing, would still be without power to obey the precepts or to imitate the example of the Savior. But, thanks be to God, "when we were without strength, in due time, Christ died for the ungodly !" " Jesus, thy blood, thy blood alone, Hath power sufficient to atone." Nothing besides this could insure the forgiveness of the least and fewest of our sins. No other element has virtue. No voice from hight or depth could say with authority to the least transgressor, " Thy sins be forgiven thee." No fasting or penance, no absolution of priest or indulgence of Pope could reach up to the seat of the soul's disease. Go to the awakened, conscience-smitten sinner ; go to him when sleep departs from his eyes, when the groan of anguish is wrung from his breast, when the stillness of the night is disturbed by his moaning and he wraps himself in sackcloth and bows down in ¦the dust before God ! How will you assuage his dis tress ? how will you lighten the burden of his con demnation ? will you offer the pleasures of sense, of intellect, of the imagination ? " Alas," he will say, " I have already tasted them and know their empti ness." . . . Will you say to him that Christ Jesus, though a man only, was nevertheless the embodiment of all that is excellent in humanity ; was a man of sorrows and sympathy — a heavenly light and a divine instructor ? " Alas," he will exclaim, " what can in structions, light, or example avail me ? It is help that I want, help, such as only a God can give." . . . REDEMPTION BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. 349 Will you attempt to allay his horrors by pleading that his sins have not been great, and that he may make amends for them? With an indignation bor dering almost upon, despair, he will exclaim, " My sins not great ! to my Heavenly Father I have been ungrateful and disobedient ; I have been rebellious as a subject ; a candidate for heaven, I have pursued the road to hell. My nature is all darkness, my soul all defilement ; O, who shall deliver me from the body of this death ! who shall save me from ruin for ever !" . . . Plead with him that though he has been ungrateful and rebellious, others have been still more so ; that though he has been sinful, he is not as bad as they. O, that look of anguish and despair, while he exclaims, " O that I could have the conduct of others thrown into the scales as the standard by which I am to be weighed ! It might be some alle viation to my misery, some mitigation of my guilt, some lightening of the intolerable burden that now weighs me down. But, alas ! it is not so. God's holy law is the standard of my duty, and below it I have fallen immeasurably. It requires purity, and, alas for me ! I am all polluted and depraved." . . . Plead with him, again, the goodness of God. " Ah," he will ex claim, "it is against goodness, immaculate, infinite goodness that I have sinned. Had the Almighty been cruel and not good, it would have been some alleviation to the feelings of remorse that now rend me. But I see, I feel that God is just ; and in his justice, with fearfulness and trembling, I read my approaching, my inevitable doom !" . . . But still again, plead with the wretched man that if he 350 SERMONS. repents, his repentance shall avert the Divine venge ance and suspend the execution of the Divine law. " O might this be so," he will exclaim, " I would pour out my tears of sorrow and bemoan my iniquity. But, alas ! can tears atone for transgression ? will tears of anguish repair a shattered constitution or restore a wasted fortune ? will they avert even the temporal judgments of God ? and if not, how can they avert his just and eternal judgment against it ? Nay, will repentance avert the execution of even human laws ; will the felon, the murderer escape punishment be cause he repents ? How, then, shall repentance ac quit him who has trampled under foot the law of his God ?" . . . Driven, like a false comforter, to the last extremity, will you now disclose the dark creed of infidelity, and assure the trembling sinner that there is no God, and therefore no moral accountability, or guilt, or punishment ? He will reply, " As for a God, I know that nothing but an Almighty could inflict what I now feel!" What remedy shall we now devise for the dying sinner ? Every step we have heretofore taken has only involved him still deeper in despair; every rem edy we have proposed has only served to show the hopelessness of his condition. How shall the guilty find pardon ? Where shall the weary find rest ? Reason, philosophy, nature — all are silent. It is now, in the midst of our darkness and despair, that the great sacrifice for sin appears. The bleeding victim is all Divine — at once my God and 77iy sacrifice. As I gaze upon this sacrifice there comes down a voice whose deep and holy tones thrill the soul with REDEMPTION BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. 35 1 unutterable emotion — " Live, for I have found a ran som." O what power in that word ! The fetters of sin that bound the soul are all snapped asunder. Up ward it flies on wings divine ; and as it ascends the joyful song of triumph peals out — " My God is reconciled, His pardoning voice I hear ; He owns me for his child ; I shall no longer fear. The Spirit answers to the blood, And tells me I am born of God." 3. Again, this theme is emi7ie7itly worthy of uni versal proclamation. Angels heralded it from the skies. The minstrelsy of Zion and the eloquence of inspiration gave proclamation to it as the ages rolled onward to its completion. The blood of the immac ulate and only-begotten Son of God sealed it upon the cross of Calvary. The problem of ages — that mysterious problem which so long constituted the burden of the soul's agony — that difficult problem of eternity which neither priest, nor prophet, nor angel could unlock — is now solved, and God can be just and yet the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus. The condemned may find pardon ; the dead may live. Were some fortunate explorer to discover the real elixir of life by which life, and health, and youth might be made perpetual, with what shouts of tri umph and songs of joy would the discovery be her alded forth ! Friend would rush to bear the glad tidings to friend; onward, and still onward, over hill and mountain, across valley and plain would the joy ful tidings roll, till no solitary denizen of earth, be 352 SERMONS. his dwelling never so remote or concealed, but what had been made to know that death should reign no more. My brethren ! Death shall reign no more. Jesus Christ hath " abolished death ;" in his hands he holds " the keys of hell and of death ;" and to his followers, every-where, he proclaims with all the omnipotence of the Godhead, "As I live, ye shall live also !" Let the glorious truth, then, receive universal proclamation ; let the glad tidings fall upon the ex pectant ears and gladden the sorrowing hearts of all lands. Let the wandering Indian in his native wilds ; let the tawny African in his dark jungles and squalid abodes ; let the wandering tribes that roam amid the regions of perpetual ice and snow ; let the dweller on the most distant isle that dots the farthest ocean — let one and all hear the glad news that life — life immortal, has come down to earth ! Yes, let the proclamation of this truth spread and widen till de graded and sorrowing humanity, every-where, shall be quickened to life and filled with joy. " Waft, waft ye winds, the story, And you, ye waters, roll, Till, like a sea of glory, It spreads from pole to pole ; Till o'er our ransomed nature, The Lamb for sinners slain, Redeemer, King, Creator, In bliss returns to reign." 4. Finally, my brethren, whom I especially ad dress at this time, let me exhort you to make this the gra7id the7ne of your future mi7iistry. The science of salvation includes every other science ; it makes REDEMPTION BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. 353 every other tributary to this. Let the Christian min ister, then, explore all the fields of natural and exper imental science. Their research shall be rewarded by many a rich gem of truth, which, polished by the hand of piety, shall sparkle even in the fair crown of Christianity. History, too, and letters shall speak eloquently of God and of Christ. The rays of truth, whether from science, from history, from literature, or from revelation, shall blend in glorious harmony encircling with a halo of transcendent brightness the Cross of Christ. Bring your hearts into contact with the sublime power of redemption. Let it be to you a living, indwelling reality — a vital essence grafted into your very being ; then will you have the great, the indispensable equipment for your work. You will preach not uncertainly as one that beateth the air, but in demonstration of the Spirit and with power. As often as Antaeus in Grecian fable could touch the soil from which he sprung, he received new and mighty strength, so that even Hercules could not strangle him without lifting him up from the earth. So, my brethren, as you grapple with sin and death, touch the soil of Calvary. From that sacred con tact you shall receive new inspiration and spring with renovated power. But let the pride of learning and of false philosophy lift you above the Cross, and the Hercules of infidelity, and sin, and bewildering speculation will strangle you in his grasp. You are not to ape the philosopher, but preach the Cross. You are not to preach sermons made attractive by their beauty, but impressive by their power. In a word, redemption, not merely in its letter, but in its 30 354 SERMONS. spirit and power, is to be the Alpha and the Omega of all your ministrations. ' Does any one ask, " How shall we always preach Christ?" Let me answer that question and then I will close. The best direction I can give, and one that covers the whole ground, is, live i7i him. Or, to use the language of one* not always so clearly apprehending the spirit and truth of Christ: "To know Jesus Christ and him only, to die with him in his death and rise in the likeness of his resurrection, to have Christ living in us, life within life, to have his pure spirit breathing in us, to love with his love, to be consciously and eternally united to God by our union with Christ, to know that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord, and in that confidence to be ready to partake joyfully of his passion, and to become obedient with him even unto death — this, I say, is to k7iow how td p7reach Christ unto 77ien. For it is not a rhetoric, not a philosophy; it is nothing that the schools can teach or the natural understanding learn, but it is the living, life-giving experience of Christ himself. Study cleared by communion, knowl edge grounded in faith— this it is which prepares insight, character, and love, and forms the true equipment of an earnest, powerful preacher. Hav ing this, a man will preach not by words only, his very life will be luminous, because Christ is mani fested in it! With such a man, such a Christian minister, abides the Lord's good promise, not in some external, official, occasional manner, but in the * Horace Bushnell. REDEMPTION BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. 355 heart, in depth of feeling, in clearness of spirit, in wisdom, patience, and power — ' Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world !' " Blessed is he who has this consciousness of the Divine presence and this power of the indwelling life. Happy are ye, brethren, if ye shall so live and labor for Christ. " Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily : and thy righteousness shall go before thee ; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward." 356 SERMONS. XIV. ON REVIVALS OF RELIGION. "And they of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley : and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it." I Samuel vi, 13. THE event narrated in our text refers to a re markable period in the history of God's ancient people. Eli had for a long time been judge over the land. He appears to have been a God-fearing man himself, but like too many parents in the present day, he was too lenient to control his sons, and too indulgent to correct or punish their vices. The re sult of this excessive indulgence was as natural as it was painful. Hophni and Phineas, though they min istered at the altar, were men of most abandoned and profligate characters. They were guilty of the grossest vices. The swift poison of their wickedness was diffused among the people. The great mass of them not only became corrupt in morals, but carried that corruption to the very altars of God. The few who retained their piety, shocked at this mockery of religion, and disgusted with the corruptions of the priests, refrained from coming to the house of the Lord. And thus the total neglect of religion, or its utter perversion, prevailed to an alarming degree. ON REVIVALS OF RELIGION. 357 God did not long suffer this state of things to continue. Young Samuel, though yet a lad, now ministered before Eli in the house of the Lord. The eyes of Eli had become dim with age, and "there was no open vision " — that is, no accredited prophet in all the land. At this Juncture, when the whole land was reeking with wickedness and irreligion, God called unto Samuel and revealed unto him all that should befall the house of Eli. And when the old man heard the evil that should come upon him because he restrained not the iniquity of his sons, he bowed his hoary head in anguish and said, " It is- the Lord; let him do what seemeth him good." The Philistines are made the instruments of God's vengeance upon his sinning people. They arrayed themselves in battle against Israel at Ebenezer. Israel is defeated, and retires, leaving four thousand dead upon the field. When the day was ended they counseled over their defeat. But instead of repent ing of their sins, and recognizing their iniquities as the cause of their overthrow, they send to Shiloh and bring to the battle-field the ark of God, accom panied by the two priests, Hophni and Phineas. When the ark appeared in the midst of the camp all the people shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang, and the Philistines trembled with affright. But what can the empty ceremonies of religion do if God be not there? Israel is again dis comfited with tremendous slaughter. Thirty thou sand men were left dead upon the field of battle, and to crown their calamity, Hophni and Phineas, their priests, were both slain, and the ark of the Lord fell 358 SERMONS. into the hands of the Philistines. When the sad news of these calamities was brought to Shiloh, the whole city cried out with anguish ; and the aged and pious, though mistaken, Eli fell down by the side of the gate and expired. Elated with their success, the Philistines carry home the ark of the Lord in triumph, and place it in the house of Dagon, their god, in the city of Ashdod. But their triumph was soon checked by the mysterious prostration of Dagon before the ark. The inhabitants of the city are also smitten with sore disease, till, terrified, they demand the removal of the ark from their city. Then it is carried to Gath; but behold, pestilence and death go with it! And when they would have sent it to Ekron, another city, all its inhabitants rose up in alarm and besought that it might not come among them. Thus, after seven months, the Philistines consulted how they might return the ark of the Lord to the land of Israel. At the instance of their priests, they inclose a trespass-offering of gold in a coffer, which, along with the ark, was placed upon a cart, drawn by milch kine. Left to their own guidance, they went up from the land of the Philistines, without turning either to the right or left, till they came to Beth- shemesh, a city of the priests, near the borders of Judea. And the inhabitants of the city were gather ing their wheat harvest in the valley, and, "lifting up their eyes, they saw the ark of the Lord return ing, and rejoiced to see it." This whole subject is eminently suggestive in its application to the Israel of God. Here the loss of ON REVIVALS OF RELIGION. 359 the Divine presence in the Church is typified by the loss of the ark of the Lord ; and the causes that led to the loss of that ark strikingly illustrate the causes of spiritual decline in the Church of God. The return of that ark to Israel symbolizes the return of the spiritual presence to the Church ; and as the return of the ark filled the hearts of the Israelites with joy, so the people of God ever rejoice in the returning manifestations of the Divine presence and glory. I know not what theme is more pertinent to the present occasion or of greater interest to the Church in the present crisis of her history and work than that suggested by our text — the presence and favor of God in Zion, or a deep, earnest, spiritual, all-per vading revival of religio7i. What is the great want of the Church at the present hour? She has, perhaps, her full share of wealth and social influence, and even political power ; she has infolded among her agencies learning, and talent, and piety in the ordinary acceptation of that word. She is active in her educational enterprises, in building her churches, and in sending forth her missionaries. In all material and intellectual re sources she abounds. It seems to me, then, that her great want, the gift that is to crown and ennoble all her other endowments, is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, like that experienced on the day of Pentecost, like that often realized in great, and mighty, and sweeping revivals of religion — an inspiration that makes the soul glow with light, and love, and power. Let us, then, look at some of the characteristics, 360 SERMONS. causes, agencies, and effects of such revivals of religion. Let us prayerfully consider the importance of such a revival, and thoughtfully inquire whether we, whether the whole Church, may not expect it, and expect it now! And if it may be realized in the Church, let us inquire what human instrumental ities may be employed to bring it about, what we ourselves may do toward realizing this grand result. And O, brethren, let us wait to-day in holy expecta- tio7i, just as the disciples of old waited in the upper chamber while the day of Pentecost was coming on! I. What, then, is a revival of religion? It will be sufficient to characterize it as an extraordinary spiritual manifestatio7i. The word revival is from re and vivo, meaning simply to live again. It conveys an idea of restora: tion from death to life. This is its primary significa tion. When Elijah prayed for the restoration of the widow's son to life, "the Lord heard the voice of Elijah, and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived!' i Kings xvii, 22. The prophet seems to have been wholly uninstructed in that modern philosophy which teaches that the soul dies with the body. He prays not that this child's soul may be restored to life, but that it may "come into him again." God heard the prayer, and the living soul of the child returned into the dead body, so that it lived again. So, also, of the dead man, whose corpse, on being thrown hastily into the tomb. of Elisha, touched the bones of the prophet. He in stantly "revived." That is, he was restored to life, "and stood upon his feet." ON REVIVALS OF RELIGION. 36 1 By a sort of figure of speech, it has come to mean a quickening or invigoration. And in this sense it is often applied to external and even material interests. Thus we speak of the revival of learning, the revival of business, or of commerce. It is used also to indicate recovery from bodily disease. A person wasted by sickness, emaciated, enfeebled, is said to be revivi7ig when the returning glow of health is seen. So if a person has fallen into a swoon or fainting-fit, he is said to revive as he apparently comes back to life. It is employed also to express deliverance from despondency of feeling, the fainting of heart, occasioned by misfortune or apprehended evil. When the sons of the patriarch "told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt, Jacob's heart fainted, for he believed them not." But when they told him the words of Joseph, and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, " the spirit of Jacob their father 7'evived." From these examples may be seen the aptness of this word as applied to the spiritual reinvigoration or quickening of soul, which we have characterized as an extraordinary spiritual manifestation. When an individual Christian has declined in the spiritual life, lost the fervor of his zeal, grown cold in love, become neglectful of religious duties, fallen into way ward if not sinful habits, and' then, by repentance and faith, is once more restored to the favor of God, he is said to be "revived in religion." And so, also, a whole Church sometimes declines in the spiritual life; its sympathies are chilled, its energies become 31 362 SERMONS. dormant, the ways of Zion mourn, and the life of God seems dying out in all the membership. Let such a Church be quickened anew into the Divine life, let the fountains of salvation be opened in her midst, let the fruit of the tree of life cluster in rich abundance again upon her branches, and then what word can more fitly express the change than revival? That Church lives agai7i. But there are extraordinary manifestations of re ligion ; when the entire community is awakened, and religion itself seems to possess and exert unwonted power. Then we speak of the great and extraor dinary spiritual manifestation as a revival of religio7i. And this brings us to the fact, that the move ments of Christianity are not uniform in the world. Its history does not present any steady and unvary ing line of advance. There are great epochs of re vival, standing out as prominent headlands to mark the progress of religion in the earth. And each of these epochs has been preceded by its Winter of spiritual decline, in which every germ of piety seemed girt about with ice and snow, and faith had well-nigh perished from among men. Why these ebbings and flowings in religion ? Does it result from the infirmity of human nature ? from the fickleness and variableness of man ? or is it a part of the Divine economy, inhering in the Gospel as a system designed for the elevation and redemption of the race ? These are points we may not fully discuss in this connection. But if we look into nature, in her corresponding analogies, we find that dead uniformity is not the law of her movement. ON REVIVALS OF RELIGION. 363 We may not see any reason why sufficient water to moisten the earth and quicken vegetation should not daily and with uniformity descend from the clouds or be deposited from the atmosphere. But it is not so. How often does the protracted drought waste the earth till it becomes dry and parched, and vegetation is withered ! Then, again, the clouds pour out them selves as though they would deluge the very earth ; and the hopes of men are swept away by the floods. We do not attempt to give the philosophy of all these things ; we deal only with the facts as they appear in the current of the religious life. Let us push the thought a little further. Nature has its dread Winter. The earth is sheeted with snow and belted with ice. Vegetation seems dead and buried ; yet nature is simply resting. She shall come forth in the Spring, with invigorated power, to clothe the earth with new life and beauty. We will not say that the Church gathers strength in the Wir ter of her spiritual decline; but we do know tha.., warmed and invigorated by the returning heat, she shall send forth the exultant song : " Lo, the Winter is past, the rain is over and gone : the flowers appear on the earth ; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land." Song of Sol. ii, 11,. 12. There are times when the tide of Christianity seems to be turned backward, and the world seems to be waxing worse and worse. When our eye runs along the line of a great river, we come to points where the current is obstructed, and the surface is broken into eddies, till the whole stream seems to be 364 SERMONS. turned backward. That is only the surface view. The deep water of the mighty river is all the while rolling onward, and hasting to pour its ever-increasing volume into the boundless ocean below. So also, not withstanding those discouraging surface views that sometimes distract our faith and appall our hearts, the deep undercurrent of Christianity is really mov ing onward ; and the fact shall be demonstrated to our sight, by and by, when, in the clear light of a brighter revelation, we comprehend more of the de sign and work of God. Such are the phases of the natural world, under the curses sin has entailed upon it. So these great spiritual upheavings are the special intervention of Heaven to save the Church and the world from utter ruin. And it is a fact, patent in the history of the Church and worthy of careful note, that nearly all the progress religion has made in the earth has been made through the agency of these great, wide-spread, and glorious revivals. They are the great tidal waves that lift our humanity up, and bear it onward to ward the higher and grander development of its spiritual life. II. Our second remark is that God is the author of such spiritual 7nanifestations . The residue of the Spirit is with God, and the gift of the Spirit is from God. A revival that does not spring from this source will lack the essential characteristics of a work of God in its progress, and the essential fruits of such a work in its results. The Jews had two such revivals. Let us learn a lesson from them. The first took place after the ON REVIVALS OF RELIGION. 365 spies came back from the promised land, bringing their evil report. Then the people murmured against God and against Moses, and said, " Wherefore hath the Lord brought us into this land to fall by the sword ?" And then they charge God with the spe cial injustice and cruelty of bringing up their wives and their children to be a prey to their enemies. And they say one to another, " Let us make a cap tain, and let us return into Egypt." God said to Moses, I will destroy this people. But Moses inter ceded with God in mighty, fervent, and believing prayer. And for the encouragement of the people of God in all ages, it is placed upon record that that prayer prevailed with the Most High. It did not exhaust its power upon Moses, according to the re fined theory of modern skeptics, but it moved God. He spares the rebellious people. But he says, I will turn them back into the wilderness forty years ; a year for each day shall they wander, and their car casses shall perish in the wilderness. But their little children, whom they said I purposed to destroy, shall be brought into the promised land. When Moses reported to the people this sentence, they were filled with dismay. And at early morning they came to Moses and said : Go thou up with us, and we will now go up and fight the enemy. But Moses said, ye can not go up, for God is not with you. Yet they persisted ; and though Moses and the ark of the covenant remained in the camp, they went up in hot and impudent haste against their enemies. The result was just what might have been expected. The Amalekites and the Canaanites came down from 366 SERMONS. the mountains, fell upon them, smote and discomfited them, pursuing them back even to Hormah. How perfectly parallel this to the course of some backsliders in modern times ! After having not only neglected the duties of religion, but dishonored the Church by their wayward if not scandalous life, anon something gets hold of their feelings ; they awake from their deadness, and, without waiting to wash away the taint of their apostasy, they seem to imag ine that it is their special function to become leaders in Israel. They become impatient at the slowness of the Church which has been so long patient toward them, and propose at once to go up and fight the battles of the Lord. Not so, ye unstable, fickle- minded men. God requires a different kind of ma terial out of which to bring forth champions for his cause. The second revival of this kind among the Jews was that in the time of Eli. The first day's defeat, when four thousand are left dead upon the field of battle, shocks and alarms the people. But instead of putting away their sins and humbling themselves before God, they put their trust in the outward forms and ceremonies of religion. They bring up the ark, call forth the priest, and seem to imagine that this outward display of religious ceremony shall give them the victory. In the time of Moses the ark went not up. Now they have the ark — the out ward form — in the very midst of the camp. They are exultant in their presumptuous joy, as though the battle had already been fought and the victory won. But, alas! what can the outward form and the ON REVIVALS OF RELIGION. 367 pompous ceremonial effect without the Divine in dwelling and favor? Defeat, wide-spread, disastrous, and appalling, follows. The plain is strewed with the dead, the priests are among the slain, and the ark — the very symbol of their faith — is taken captive and carried away. So ends every revival that has not God for its author; so goes out every fire of mere human kin dling. Ashes only will remain. Bishop Butler, the author of the celebrated Analogy of Natural and Revealed Religion to the Constitution and Course of Nature — a citadel of strength for the defense of the Christian faith, against which infidelity has leveled its heaviest artillery for a hundred years in vain — mourning over the decay of vital religion, the wide spread corruption in morals, and the almost utter neglect of the public worship of God, in 1750, sent out a circular to the preachers in his diocese. His lament over the decay of religion is eloquent, and touching. But when he comes to the work of refor mation — seemingly ignorant of the spiritual indwell ing as a vital force, a regenerating power — he can only exhort the clergy to " keep up the form and face of religion!' The good bishop, confiding in the ex ternals of religion more than in its spiritual force, had mistaken the true agencies of salvation. Nor was he aware that God had already commenced a genuine revival of religion in the land. Eleven years before his Spirit had moved upon the heart of Mr. Wesley and his associates, kindling there the true revival flame. It had not attracted the attention of the world ; it placed little stress upon the " form and 368 SERMONS. face of religion," but it burned deep into the hearts of the simple, Christ-loving disciples. The move ment of Bishop Butler produced scarcely a ripple upon the surface. But who shall set bounds to that other revival inspired by the Holy Ghost? More than a century has rolled away, and yet the mighty tide is rolling onward, swelling upward, and bearing upon its bosom myriads of redeemed, blood-washed souls up to the throne of God. So often God commences a work when and where we least expect. Thus the return of the ark was as unexpected as it was joyful to Israel. I imagine that I see these men of Bethshemesh, scattered over the fields adjacent to the city gathering their harvest. How their hearts go out after the ark of- God, now in an enemy's land! What sacred memo ries of the precious seasons of joy and gladness when God was in the midst of his people! But now in what strange contrast are the desolations of Zion! Sorrow swells the heart; the tear gushes from the eye. Just then an object is dimly seen in the dis tance, at once awakening curiosity to ascertain what it may be. The tear is brushed from the eye. Deepening interest intensifies the gaze. It comes nearer. "Look! look! the ark!" a hundred voices exclaim. Others catch the sound, repeat the ex clamation; and thus the glad news is heralded forth throughout all the land. So, also, the visitings of God in Zion, longed for, prayed for by faithful hearts, still break upon the Church unexpectedly — coming "without observation." What an inauspicious morning for Christianity, ON REVIVALS OF RELIGION. 369 to all human appearance, was that of Pentecost! Christ had been crucified; he had disappeared from the scene. His disciples were timid and fearful, with out plan or purpose. They are without courage or power to act. Fifty days have passed. No word has been uttered; no sign of unwonted power has been given. The enemies of Christ now deem their tri umph complete. The very name of the wonderful crucified man is fast fading from the memory of the fickle multitude. The timid disciples are only an occasion for jest and ridicule. Just then a strange sound of a mighty rushing wind is heard. What mean these circling .eddies gathering around the dis ciples ? What mean these cloven tongues of fire that tip their brows? What mean these wondrous utter ances that proclaim in so many tongues the wondrous mystery of the resurrection ? What means this sway ing of the mighty multitude? Why, God is there. These timid men are timid no longer. A new inspi ration has taken possession of their hearts. They are " endued with power." They stand forth in the very courts of the Temple; they utter there testimony in the very presence of the murderers of Christ. No fear can trammel them now. The awed multitude feel and acknowledge the new element of power. Thus, too, in genuine revivals of religion, men — even the wicked — are compelled to recognize the presence and power of God. Mark the great revival that swept over our country just before the breaking out of the desolating civil war which deluged the land in blood. It was an obvious baptism of the Churches, infusing into them a purer and mightier 370 SERMONS. spiritual power preparatory to that event. How dis tinctly marked was it, as of God ! Like the descend ing dew, reviving influences came down over all the land. They came mysteriously, unexpectedly, with out perceived cause or author. Hearts every-where were touched, affected, subdued. The Divine pres ence was felt— scarcely less so than on the day of Pentecost. This spiritual presence sometimes pervades an entire community. It goes into prayerless homes, visits hard and unbelieving hearts. And thus sin ners that could be reached in no other way are brought to Christ. Many years ago a revival was in progress in a little inland town. It took hold upon the entire community. Business was in a great measure suspended. The dram-shops were forsaken, and the whole village, saint and sinner, night after night and day after day, seemed to be congregated in the Methodist church. Some seven miles distant from the village, up among the mountains, lived a poor intemperate man. He earned a scanty liveli hood by burning charcoal and peddling it in fhe village. He had never been in a Protestant church. He had never read a chapter in the Bible. At this time he had not been in the village for some weeks. A mysterious influence seemed to come upon him. He could not throw it off. Sleep departed from him. He could neither work, nor eat, nor rest. Drawn by its cords, he came down to the village. But all along the way he was exclaiming to himself, " What for?" He visited his accustomed haunts, but a voice seemed to say to him, " Not here," and he turned ON REVIVALS OF RELIGION. 371 away. The bell rung, and the tide of people com menced flowing along to the church. He knew nothing of the revival, and not even what a revival was ; but now the mysterious power seemed to move him forward with the throng. He entered the church, heard the Word, became convinced of sin and of his need of a Savior. At the altar he found peace, - and, though long years has continued to magnify the grace of God, which flows out — a spirit ual power — far beyond all human instrumentalities, awakening the heart to the consciousness of things Divine. I know not how it may have been with others, but I have often felt, when first entering the room where a genuine revival was in progress, that the very atmosphere was impregnated with a Divine presence. Such are the occasions that lead us with holy awe and adoring wonder to say, " Lo ! God is here ! Let us adore, And own how dreadful is this place j Let all within us feel his power, And silent bow before his face." And it is the same recognition of the Divine pres ence in the midst of the Church that enables the saint of Gbd to exclaim, " Present we know thou art; But O, thyself reveal ! Now, Lord, let every bounding heart The mighty comfort feel." Such are the seasons of transcendent spiritual manifestation in the Church of the living God. They come bearing the signet of their Divine origin. 372 SERMONS. They come swaying their mighty power over the hearts of men, and giving to the Church unwonted light, and life, and power. III. But again, though God is the author of such glorious manifestations, yet he employs angelic and human age7icies i7i bringi7ig them about. God has sometimes thrust out men, giving to them a peculiar mission as revivalists in the Church. They speak to the souls of men; they arouse Chris tians from their sluggishness; they fire the Church with unwonted zeal. Communities are moved ; sin ners are awakened; men are saved. I might point to Benjamin Abbott, Jesse Lee, and a host of others thus called and gifted in the olden time. And it seems to me that such a mission we may now claim for James Caughey, William Taylor, Mrs. Palmer, and others, whose souls are divinely inspired and empowered. But every-where God uses instrumentalities. The human instrumentalities that always precede and accompany revivals of religion may not be very obvious to men, nor very prominent in the move ment. But it is an agency known and approved by God, small in its beginning, but large in its results. It is the little spring hidden in the remote forest, or in the deep gorge at the base of the distant mount ain, a gurgling stream at first, but swelling into a majestic river, bearing on its bosom the opulence of the country to enrich the commerce of the world. So of these hidden springs of revival — insignificant in the eyes of men — they bear onward the destinies of the world and swell the revenues of heaven. ON REVIVALS OF RELIGION. 373 During the first year of my ministry I visited the town of Barkhampsted, in the State of Connect icut. I was there told that many years before a long season of spiritual dearth had been experienced in the town. The social meetings had literally died out, and very few attended the sacramental occasions. Vital piety seemed almost extinct. The pastor de plored the condition of the Church, but seemed utterly powerless to stay the downward tendency of things. One Sabbath morning he preached with unusual unction and power. A new inspiration moved his heart and nerved his mind. At the close of the sermon he exclaimed, " Brethren, I have had unusual feelings to-day, and I should not wonder if God was about to revive his work in this town." And God did revive his work. Both minister and Church received the holy baptism, and more than two hundred souls were converted to God. Now mark the sequel. It was soon found out that three or four precious souls, mourning over the desolations of Zion, had banded themselves together to spend one hour each day in earnest, agonizing prayer for a revival of God's work. Their names are unknown. The earth has made no record of their faith and prayer, but there is a blessed record above. In the "great day of eternity the Judge will know whose brow to stud with the crown that shall sparkle in the sunlight of heaven. The feeblest saint, thank God! has power that may prevail with the Most High. It is narrated of a poor blacksmith, a pious mem ber of the Presbyterian Church in the western part 374 SERMONS. of the State of New York, that he became power fully exercised about the condition of the Church. So fearful had been the declension of religion that even the sacrament had been given up, and no one even thought of a prayer meeting. The pastor had fallen into the same deep spiritual decline. What could the poor blacksmith do ? He did not fret at the Church and complain of the minister. But his heart was deeply wounded; his distress of mind was well-nigh insupportable. He made his closet his hid ing-place and God his refuge. His mind was so dis tressed that his appetite failed, sleep departed, and his strength was wasting away. One Friday after noon he shut up his shop and betook himself to prayer. There, while pouring out his heart in agony of soul, God sent to witness that his prayer was accepted. He had no misgivings, no doubts. The indubitable seal had been set upon his heart. When God's Spirit speaks to the believing heart there is no longer any questioning or doubt, even though the thing seems to be hedged about with impossibilities. He went to his minister ; told him that a revival was about to take place ; asked that a prayer meeting should be announced on the coming Sabbath. The minister was incredulous. He interposed various objections. But the poor blacksmith overcame them all. The meeting was appointed. To the surprise of the minister and every body else, the house was crowded. The Spirit of God came down upon the assembly. Tears 'flowed ; sobs were heard ; confes sions were made. The fire began to burn. A re vival ensued which spread all through the town, and ON REVIVALS OF RELIGION. $7$ extended through all the region round about. Hund reds were converted. What a triumph of faith was that on the part of the poor blacksmith ! The crown upon his brow shall be studded with a brighter glory in the kingdom of our God than that worn by many a pulpit orator who has entranced thousands with his eloquence. What encouragement to every Chris tian, no matter how lowly in position or limited in gifts, to pray, to act, and to believe! Thus we see God uses means. The Holy Spirit is, indeed, a universal presence. So is electricity. Yet it is unfelt. It is not manifest. But bring the surcharged cloud into contact with a suitable con ductor, and then the vivid flash of sheeted fire and the deep roar of heaven's artillery will symbolize the omnipotence of the Divine presence. The wondering disciple inquired of the Savior, " How is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?" He knew that God was present — every-where pres ent — but the mysterious manifestation, such as the world could not comprehend, perplexed and puzzled him. But on the day of Pentecost, when the holy fire not only tipped his brow and touched his tongue, but filled his heart, the mystery was solved. That same revelation may come to our hearts, if we only have faith to believe in God. Faith is the conductor that reaches up to the clouds, surcharged with Divine mercy. Along its wires there comes, streaming down into the believing heart, wave after wave of the Di vine manifestation, filling the soul with unspeakable joy. Along its wires there comes, streaming down into the believing Church, flood after flood of revival 376 SERMONS. power, quickening all its energies, causing it to glow with the Divine presence, and making it victorious in pushing forward the conquests of Christ over the souls of men. IV. Another characteristic of revivals is that they produce sudden transformations of character. I am aware that men, in judging upon the sub ject, are prone to undervalue sudden conversions. They seem to imagine that if the work is done sud denly, it will not be well done, nor permanent. They would have men educated into religion ; grow up into it. They would demand a long time ; would abjure excitement ; would do up the work in precise forms, very genteelly, very respectably. Instead of direct, sudden, powerful conversion from sin to God, they would train men into the observance of the forms of religion. But how often does God cut the work short ! Indeed, if we look at the revivals, or at the individual conversions recorded in the Bible, we shall find that almost always they were sudden as well as powerful. Take the first great revival, that which occurred on the day of Pentecost. Over three thousand were converted in one day. Who were they ? " Strangers," who had come up from almost all lands to Jerusalem. They knew little about Christ or his doctrine up to the very hour when the apostles spoke. Some of them probably had never heard even the name of Christ before. But moved by the Spirit of God, they came rushing together ; listened ; were convinced ; cried out in their agony ; were led to Christ ; and that very day three thousand of them found peace. There was some confusion and some noise on that ON REVIVALS OF RELIGION. 377 occasion, most probably — some things that would have been offensive to the fastidious tastes of cold, lifeless formalists. But the fruit was good. The Lord "saved" them; their hearts were filled with "gladness;" they went forth "praising God" — just as young converts do in the present day. And lest any one should doubt whether this multitude, so suddenly converted, did not soon fall away, it is distinctly re corded that "they continued steadfastly in the apos tle's doctrine and fellowship." This seems to cover the whole ground, and to settle the whole question. For, was not this first great revival of religion, under the Gospel dispensation, designed to be the type of all true revivals that should come after in the Church ? Was it not the true unvailing of that spiritual power which the Gospel has brought to men, and which God designed should be ever present in his Church, and through her should be manifested to the world ? May the Church never fail of this indwelling power ! And may its. light gleam out often, with sudden and glorious brightness as on the day of Pentecost, bring ing into her fold " daily such as shall be saved !" See, again, how the Gospel was first introduced among the Gentiles. It was the very first Gospel sermon that Cornelius had ever heard ; but " while Peter yet spake," he believed, and he and his house hold were so baptized with the Holy Ghost that even Jewish exclusiveness could not deny to them the Christian rite of baptism. But look at some of the earlier individual conver sions, and see what the lesson is which they teach us upon this point. Consider the case of Saul, the 32 378 SERMONS. persecutor. Full of wrath, blaspheming the name of Jesus, his hands stained with the blood of martyrs, he goes forth on his mission of death to Damascus. Behold, the Lord meets him ! He is stricken down in the way, and in three days, not only soundly con verted, but called and commissioned to be an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. Rather a sudden trans formation this, and quite damaging to the slow-con version theory ! The Ethiopian eunuch had just come from a dis tant country. He knew nothing about Christ ; noth ing about the descent of the Holy Ghost. Through the mysterious types of the Old Testament he had been trying to spell out the way of salvation. Philip joins him as he travels along the highway ; discourses to him of Christ. Light breaks in upon the dark ened mind, and he is baptized into Christ upon the spot. N6r is this all. Philip is caught suddenly away. The eunuch, without being trained or in structed further, possessing simply the knowledge of Christ and the love of God in his soul, is sent back to preach the Gospel in the dark regions from whence he came. This was precisely what our fathers did in the early day of Methodism. They went forth, through out the length and breadth of the land, preaching the Gospel every-where. Their ministry was in demon stration of the Spirit. Signs and wonders followed. Revivals of wonderful power were kindled along their path. Multitudes heard the Word and received it with joy. But these men of God tarried not. Leav ing the young converts to carry forward the work ON REVIVALS OF RELIGION. 379 they had commenced, they pushed forward into the regions beyond ; and thus the work grew, and spread, and multiplied every-where. Who would not rejoice to see the return of the day of the Church's won drous power — so like primitive Christianity — so like the apostle's day ? " God's Spirit then would speak Through lips of humble clay, And hearts of adamant would break, And rebels would obey." There might be noise and confusion, offensive to irre- ligion ; there might be some extravagancies excep tionable in the eye of the cold, calculating formalist, but there would be life and power ; and sinners would be renewed and clothed in their right minds. They would be reformed in their habits, as well as changed in their feelings ; their sins would be washed away ; they would be endued with spiritual power, and be come, in turn, co-workers with God. Such a con summation would make the Church all-glorious, as she would become all-victorious ! But not only in the apostolic times, but in all great revivals, simiers are suddenly transfonned. The drunkard is taken up from the gutter, his filth is cleansed away, and he becomes a new man in Christ Jesus ; the profane swearer forgets his oaths and blas phemy ; the profligate seeker of pleasure is changed in all his tastes, habits, and pursuits ; the infidel lets go his infidelity, and takes hold upon Christ. I once knew a man who had been long striving to confirm himself in infidelity. He was shrewd in argument, cutting in his satire, bold and often fearful in his 380 SERMONS. . i denunciation. He seemed to be wholly abandoned of God, and given up to unbelief. No one wished to come into contact with him. The most weighty and convincing evidences of Christianity were met with a sneer and a scoff. Twenty years of blasphemy and unbelief seemed to have left the fearful inscription of a lost soul upon his very countenance. A- revival took place. It was mighty, deep, all-pervading, tak ing hold upon the entire community. The infidel and scoffer came, perhaps, out of idle if not wicked curiosity to the place of meeting. The malicious scoff curled his lip and sat upon his brow. But one night God's Spirit took hold upon him. His infidel ity was shaken out of him as in a moment. Trem bling, he approached the altar. Groans, and tears, and stragglings of soul seemed almost to rend his body, and threatened to tear away his life for days. His conversion was as sudden and as powerful as. was his awakening. Blessed with salvation — full, clear, glorious — he shouted aloud the praises of God! It was a wonderful transformation. But a dozen years after, God set his seal upon it in a triumphant and glorious death. Brethren, let us not be afraid of sudden conversions. God spoke creation into be ing in a moment. He can speak life into the soul of the repenting sinner quick as the lightning de scends from the cloud ; and when God does the work, though in the twinkling of an eye, we need not fear. So also, in these revivals, there are wonderful transformations in Christian character. The trans formation of the apostles on the day of Pentecost ON REVIVALS OF RELIGION. 38 1 was wonderful — complete ! their timidity is all gone, and they are now armed with a courage and a power which surpasses that of earth. It is divine. There is nothing like the baptismal power and the work of a revival to strengthen and establish Christians. In deed, very few become thoroughly established in re ligion, so as to comprehend fully its life and its work, till they have passed through at least one revival season, and been imbued with its spirit and identified with its work. V. Such a revival as we have described is e7ni- nently desirable. May we not say that there are those who desire it? Are there not children of God whose burdened hearts cry out with longing desire, " O, Lord, revive thy work ?" Many a minister of Jesus Christ, mourn ing over the desolations of Zion, and sorrowing over the unfruitfulness of the Word, is day and night praying for the coming of the time in which God shall favor his people. Many a godly parent, with children unconverted, growing up wayward, sinful, and in the road to hell, feels that almost his last hope for their arrest and salvation depends upon the speedy revival of God's work. There are sinners, too, who are looking forward to such a revival with hope and strong desire. They have passed through other revivals, they hardly know how, unconverted. All the ordinary means of grace have spent their force upon them without effect. They do not want to go down to perdition. The vague expectation of being somehow saved has been an ideal fancy with them all their days. But of late the prospect has 382 SERMONS. grown dim, the hope has been growing weaker. Now they have come to feel that some powerful revival- shock is the only thing that can rouse their soul from the lethargy that, like a leaden weight, is set tling down upon them. O, how they long for the coming of such a revival! It is the only thing which seems to stand between them and perdition. My brethren, could you enter into the thoughts and feelings of this class of men, could you realize the deep anguish of spirit under which they sometimes writhe almost in an agony of despair, your own hearts would be touched, and you yourselves would be stirred up to pray for a revival of God's work. It is desirable for the sake of individuals. There are many young whose characters are just forming. Those characters will become fixed by and by. How important that the religion of the Lord Jesus Christ should enter in among those influences by which their characters are formed ! There are others,- un converted men and women, who have advanced far in life. They are respectful toward religion, but have drifted on and on in life till their locks are already gray, and their steps are halting to the tomb. Ten, twenty, and even forty years ago there was more ground to hope for their salvation than there is now. O, how many there are who are thus drift ing farther and still farther away from God, and heaven, and hope! Faintly even now the Gospel call falls upon their ear. Soon its sound will fade away and be gone forever. What shall arrest them but the power of God? What but that mighty shaking of dry bones- that takes place when the ON REVIVALS OF RELIGION. 383 Spirit of God moves upon the face of the dry and bleaching plain ? Come, O thou breath of God, and breathe upon these slain; open these graves of the dead; sweep over this open valley, so full of dry bones and so very dry! Prophesy with revival power, and these dry bones shall live. Such a revival is desirable to quicken the Church and to preserve individual Christians from spiritual decline. It will revive their flagging zeal, inspire them with a mightier faith, lead to a new and holier dedication to God, "and lift them up to a more eleva ted and glorious plane of Christian experience. It may shock the proprieties of dead formalism ; but it will be a life-giving power in the Church of God. A revival is a vitalizing in the Church. And I doubt whether there is any thing else that will per petuate vital Christianity in a Church, any thing that will make a Church an active, vital, aggressive force for the effecting of the salvation of men. Such a revival is also desirable in view of the great enterprises of Christianity. The missionary work demands something more than money, than men, than sacrifices. It needs the all-pervading in spiration of the Holy Ghost, that the heathen may know that it is not a lifeless form, an empty letter, which we send unto them ; but that it is the em bodiment of a new and grander life — the life of God in the souls of men. The manifestation will do what no reasoning nor logic could effect — it will enter the heart. Those human sympathies, so long buried beneath the rubbish of heathenism and almost smothered, shall be stirred and quickened as the new 384 SERMONS. life enters into the soul. Broad as is human woe, deep as is human sympathy, so broad and so deep is this penetrating, vitalizing power of the grace of God in the soul. It may spread all around the globe, leaving no heart on all the broad earth un touched or unsaved. Home evangelization demands just such a revival. There is a deep, heart-felt anxiety in the hearts of many Christian men in regard to the demoralization of the masses, especially in our great cities. Vice is increasing; the workers of iniquity are becoming bold ; wickedness is flaunting itself in the face of open day. The victims of the loathsome dens of pollution are multiplying every hour. Unnumbered victims, not a few of them swept onward from homes of piety and love, are going down daily, hourly into hell. How shall this alarming evil be checked ? Your elegant churches, and the beautiful sermons delivered in them, are utterly powerless in the battle against these lower forms of evil. Reason and argu ment are of little avail. You must reach the heart; you must arouse the blinded, bewildered conscience. Only let the Spirit of God move upon these masses of ignorance, pollution, and death ; only let the old Methodistic fire be kindled in their midst, and their hearts will be stirred. Multitudes, will be saved, being pulled, as it were, " out of the fire." And now, beloved friends, have we not said enough to show you how indispensable revivals of religion are to the stability and growth of the Church ? how indispensable they are as an aggressive force against the powers of darkness, and an agency ON REVIVALS OF RELIGION. 385 in saving the souls of men? When did the Church ever need such a revival more than now, so sur rounded and beset, and yet pressed with such mo mentous responsibilities? Let us go before God on bended knee and cry out with streaming eyes and yearning hearts, "O Lord, revive thy work!" Let us agonize there till upon us and upon the zvhole Church the old fire of the Holy Ghost comes down as in the days of old. Then shall the Church rise in her might and power; to the wicked she shall be "terrible as an army with banners," and "the right eousness thereof shall go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burnetii." Amen ! 33 386 SERMONS. XV. THE EARTH TO BE FILLED WITH THE GLORY OF GOD. " But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of tlie Lord." Num. xiv, 21 ; Matt, xiii, 33. RARELY has there been a period in the history of our race so dark and hopeless as that when the scene in our text opens. The knowledge of the true God was confined to a single nation — ignorant and unstable in their character — wandering and suf fering in the wilderness. And even they, at this very moment, were in a state of rebellion against God. Above their guilty heads the unsheathed sword was already gleaming for their destruction. To all human appearance it would really have seemed as if the knowledge of God, the light of salvation, and- the hope of the world, were about to be blotted out for ever. Just at this critical moment, when the seals of the pestilence were about to be unloosed, prayer, that mighty lever, which, resting upon the fulcrum of the atonement and swayed by the power of faith, is able to move not only the earth, but heaven itself — prayer avails with the Most High. Moved by the intercessions of Moses, God not only pardons the grievous offenses of his people, but he is pleased to pledge his own self-existence and eternity for the ultimate revelation of his glory in all the earth. THE EARTH AND THE GLORY OF GOD. 387 We propose to consider, first, the import of this promise ; secondly, the certainty of its realization. Some have supposed, from the peculiar phraseol ogy of the verse following, that the earth was to be filled with the glory of the Lord as a consequence of the condign punishment that should fall upon the rebels in the camp of Israel. Because, when the na tions heard of this they would honor and fear the Almighty. Others understand that God would get to himself this great glory in the earth by means of the miraculous and illustrious manner in which he would conduct his people through the midst of their enemies, and bring them safely into the promised land. But we find a key to the clear and satisfactory interpretation of the passage in the simple fact that it is God's response to the apprehension expressed by Moses that the Divine name would be dishonored among the surrounding nations. He takes from Mo ses the ground of apprehension. He will not suffer his honor to be tarnished. His glory shall shine re splendent, not only among these nations, but it shall fill the whole earth. I. First, then, we notice the import of the promise. In his intercession, Moses not only manifested an intense agony of soul for the salvation of the people, but also a deep concern for the honor of God among the surrounding and idolatrous nations. And among the arguments with which he filled his mouth was the Divine honor. He called to mind that it had been reported among the inhabitants of all these lands how God had delivered his people from the hand of the oppressor ; how he was among them, 388 SERMONS. seen face to face, his cloud standing over them and going before them by night and by day. Then would not the heathen say, if the people were destroyed, that it was because God was not able to fulfill his prom ises ? Such was the plea of Moses. " I have heard thee," said the Lord, " and have pardoned the iniquity of my people according to thy word." And not only will I spare them, but I will also vindicate my honor. Not only shall Egypt and the nations of Idumea and Canaan behold with wonder and astonishment the mighty deliverances of Jacob wrought by the hand of the Almighty ; not only shall all these lands be compelled to reverence my great and terrible name, "but as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord." The word "glory" signifies brightness or splen dor. "The glory of the Lord" is an expression drawn from the light streaming forth from the She- kinah, which marked the dwelling-place of Jehovah. It denotes the light in which the special personal presence of God has ever been enshrined ; in which, indeed, it appears to dwell in the heaven of heavens, dazzling with its brightness the vision of angel and seraphim. Moses said, " Show me thy glory " — that is, let the full manifestation of thy presence break upon my vision ; but God said unto him, " I will make all my goodness pass before thee," and pro claim my gracious name in thine ear ; but the full manifestation of my glory thou canst not bear, for "there shall no man see my face and live." In its figurative sense, glory has come to mean the mani festation of excellence or honor. As applied to God, THE EARTH AND THE GLORY OF GOD. 389 it signifies that manifestation of his perfections and of his dominion by which he makes himself known upon the earth. We may be said to behold the glory of the Lord when we come to the knowledge of his being and character — especially the revelation of his divine power and his saving grace. It implies such a revelation of himself to his intelligent creatures that they will love, honor, and obey him. Numberless are the modes of the manifestation of the Divine glory. God is seen in the works of creation. " The heavens," says the Psalmist, " declare the glory of God." The visible heavens with their broad expanse, their countless worlds of light, reveal to us the majesty and glory of God. They proclaim not only his being, but his power, wisdom, and benev olence — thus manifesting to the eye of intelligence the perfections of the Godhead. God is also revealed in history. Some may fail to recognize him there ; and to such "all history is but the ceaseless ebb and flow of accidents — a chaos of intermingling and conflicting occurrences without harmony or design." Yet, whether seen or not, God is in history — in all history. No one can survey its lengthened stream without recognizing the hand that has cast up its banks, scooped out its channel, and given impulse to the mighty current. Said our Savior to Martha, as he was about to display his omnipotence by summon ing her brother from the tomb — " Said I not unto thee, that if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of the Lord ?" . . . There is also a spiritual as well as a material and providential manifestation of God. The Psalmist refers to this when he yearns 390 SERMONS. for the Divine presence in fhe sanctuary as the soul- satisfying revelation of the Divine glory — " To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary." But in all the manifestation of God's glory to a fallen world what feature is so striking, or in what form does it shine forth with such transcendent luster as in the grand scheme of redemption by Jesus Christ? "And we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." No sooner had man fallen than the scheme of mercy began to be unfolded. It was revealed in the gracious promise of a seed that should bruise the serpent's head. It was revealed in the types of the earlier dispensation. A manifest glory overshadowed the ark and filled the tabernacle. But the glory of the Lord, as it is revealed to us, consists not in the pillar nor the cloud, for the types and shadows of the law have passed away. The Temple and the mercy-seat are no more. But a spiritual temple, of which this was the shadow, now invites our approach. The ancient priesthood, hav ing accomplished its mission, has become extinct ; " but Christ abideth a priest forever." The daily sacrifices in the Temple have ceased, and into its holiest sanctuary the high priest no longer enters to make atonement for the sins of the people. But Christ Jesus — Immanuel, " God with us " — " hath appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of him self," and having " entered once into the holy place, has obtained eternal redemption for us." This was the true sacrifice — the divine reality, of which they THE EARTH AND THE GLORY OF GOD. 391 were the types and shadows. They were the dim adumbrations of the Divine glory. But when "the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us," then did we " behold his glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." This is he who is declared to be "the brightness of his Father's glory and the express image of his person." How, then, is the revelation of the Divine glory made to us— how to the world but by the proclamation of God revealed in Christ? in his incarnation, in his re demption ? The proclamation of this mysteriously- glorious event, coming as it does in all the plenitude of Gospel grace, offering pardon to the offender and life to him that was dead in trespasses and sins, is the sublime manifestation of the Divine glory in which all other manifestations center, and to which all others are tributary. " In the face of Jesus Christ" — in his humiliation and death, in his resur rection and atonement, in the spiritual manifestations of his presence and power — the glory of God is revealed with a brightness and splendor surpassing all the other manifestations of God. "Here the whole Deity is known; Nor dares a creature guess Which of the glories brightest shone, The justice or the grace." With this glory all the earth is to be filled. Not these lands only, as some would say, but irdtrav rqv pjv — all the earth. Nothing but this broad, compre hensive signification would constitute our text a full response to the fear expressed by Moses. Nothing short of this would have expressed the full scope of 392 SERMONS. the ultimate purpose of Jehovah. To the view of Moses it is quite possible that this promise expressed but little more than the discomfiture of the enemies of God and the safe establishment of Israel in the promised land. But, thanks be to God, the promise was pregnant with results reaching far beyond and comprehending all the earth. Before now we have stood upon a beautiful land scape which seemed to be bounded by a distant for est. But as we approached the line of that forest, through the trees we caught glimpses of parts of the landscape that had been cut off from our view. As in the line of our advance we came up and passed by what seemed to be the termination of our landscape, lo! a new scene rises to our view; the landscape not only extends beyond, but rises into higher grandeur and blossoms in lovelier beauty. Just so with the word of prophecy and of promise. He who received the revelation may see only the first and prominent object in the foreground. To him this seems to exhaust the Divine revelation. Such is human short-sightedness. Beyond the one object, definite and apparent to his eye, it contains more glorious events in the background ;' it compre hends higher wonders and grander events in the unfolding scheme of Divine mercy — events not as distinctly visible to the beholder, but as -distinctly engraved upon the picture to be unrolled and made to flame forth with the clear seal and impress of Divinity in the long ages of the future. So in this prophetic promise. Moses, perhaps, beheld in it only the vindication of the Divine character among the THE EARTH AND THE GLORY OF GOD. 393 nations of Egypt, Idumea, and Canaan. Not so in the Divine mind. There it comprehends a wider range — it stretches onward through the ages. "All the earth shall be filled!' Not only shall it have knowledge of, but it shall be filled with this glory. Being filled implies not merely universal presence, but supremacy, triumph, undisputed sway. This prophetic promise, then, shall be fulfilled in its higher and complete sense only when the benign influences of the Gospel shall be extended in triumph and power to the ends of the earth, and all recognize one God and Father and one Lord Jesus Christ. Then shall the full measure of blessing to our race, ratified and sealed in this promise, be realized. All the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. Then shall " One song employ all nations, and all cry, Worthy the Lamb, for he was slain for us ! The dwellers in the vales and on the rocks Shout to each other ; and the mountain-tops From distant nations catch the flying joy, Till, nation after nation taught the strain, Earth rolls the rapturous hosanna round." II. We pass, secondly, to notice the certainty of the realization of this promise. We come to the consideration of this profound and momentous question with more intense interest, because so much effort has been put forth within the few past years to create a doubt, even in the Church, of the ultimate redemption of the world. We are even told that, in spite of all our toils and sacrifices, all our prayers and faith, in spite of all 394 SERMONS. Heaven is doing for our humanity by the wide and powerful diffusion of the Holy Spirit, and through the multiplied agencies of salvation, and in spite of the modern missionary movement, kindling and illu minating the whole Church to a degree unparalleled since the day of Pentecost itself — in spite of all these the world is growing worse and worse. Others tell us that not only are the universal diffusion and' prevalence of Christianity impossible in fact, but that the Bible has never warranted the expectation of such results. It behooves the Christian, then, to look around him and to inquire, "Wherefore do we labor and pray? By whom have we been sent forth upon this warfare? at whose cost, and for what result?" The Divine testimony with regard to the spread and triumph of the Gospel in all the earth is clear and explicit. Let us take the " Thus saith the Lord " upon this subject; let us make our appeal to the law and to the testimony, and in the strength of their decisions rest our cause and build our hope. In song did the monarch minstrel celebrate the coming triumphs of the Messiah. " His name shall endure forever; his name shall be continued as long as the sun, and men shall be blessed in him; all nations shall call him blessed." Psalm lxxii, 17. "He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him, and his enemies shall lick the dust. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him, all nations shall serve him." Verses 8, 9, 11. "All the ends of the world shall THE EARTH AND THE GLORY OF GOD. 395 remember and turn unto the Lord ; and all the kin dreds of the nations shall worship before thee." Psalm xxii, 27. "Thy way shall be known upon earth ; thy saving health among all nations ; then shall the earth yield her increase, and God, even our God, shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him." Psalm lxvii, 2, 6, 7. Thus is fulfilled the pledge of the Father — "Ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession." Psalm ii, 8. And thus, also, the Son of God "sees of the travail of his soul and is satisfied." If we turn to the prophets, not one of them but seems to have bright and glorious visions of the universal triumph of the Redeemer's kingdom. "And it shall come to pass in the last days that the mount ain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills ; and all nations shall flow unto it. . . . He shall judge among the nations ; . . . they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks ; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." Isaiah ii, 2-4. "The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid ; and the calf, and the young lion, and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. . . . They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowl edge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." Isaiah xi, 6-9. " It shall come that I will gather all nations and tongues, and they shall come and see 396 SERMONS. my glory." Isaiah lxvi, 18. "All flesh shall come to worship before me, saith the Lord." Verse 23. To say that these predictions have already been ful filled would be to divest them of all proper tone and signification. But again, to what Can we refer the following glorious predictions but to the spread and universal triumph of the religion of Christ? "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, thy God reigneth! thy watchmen shall lift up the voice ; with the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion. . . . The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all nations ; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God." Isaiah Ivii, 7-10. "The earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." Hab. ii, 14. " Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion ; . . . behold thy king cometh unto thee. . . . He shall speak peace to the heathen; and his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth." Zech. ix, 9, 10. "And the Lord shall be king over all the earth; in that day there shall be one Lord, and his name one," xiv, 9. And in this day of uni versal Gospel triumph, there shall be inscribed even "upon the bells of the horses, Holiness unto the Lord." Verse 20. The prophetic vision of the king dom of Christ is a "stone cut out of the mountain without hands," which "became a great mountain THE EARTH AND THE GLORY OF GOD. 397 and filled the whole earth." Dan. ii, 35. Or, again, our Savior likens it "unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till the whole was leavened." If these things do not teach that the kingdom of Christ in the natural progress of its growth shall fill the whole earth, and that all nations shall be leavened with the leaven of righteousness, we are utterly at a loss to conceive what intelligible meaning can be attached to them. Says the prophet Daniel, " I saw in the night vi sions, and behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a king dom, that " — mark the extent of that kingdom — " that all people, nations, and languages should serve him," vii, 13, 14. "And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him." Verse 27. " For, from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, my name shall be great among the Gen tiles ; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering, saith the Lord of hosts." Mai. i, 11. Our Savior himself declares to the disciples, that " this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations." Matt, xxiv, 15. "Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day ; and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name 398 SERMONS. among all nations." Luke xxiv, 46, 47. The Reve- lator " saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach to them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people." Rev. xiv, 6. And this Gospel must continue to be preached till the measure of prophecy is full, and " the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ ; and he shall reign forever and ever." " O long-expected day, begin, Dawn on these realms of woe and sin." Having thus seen that the Bible distinctly asserts the spread of the Gospel into all the earth and its universal triumph, we are naturally led to inquire whether there is any thing in the Gospel itself — its nature and provisions — indicative of this destiny? And here we find two elements — universal adaptation and an inexhaustible power of assimilation ; the one an element of fitness, the other of power. The Gospel possesses universal applicability, and hence there is nothing, in the nature of things, to prevent its universal spread and triumph. To take different ground from this would be to pour contempt upon the Almighty ; it would be to question the wis dom of his plan or the benevolence of his character. But look at Christianity. Every essential element of it— whether it be doctrine, or agency, or even exter nal rite: — every essential element of it is stamped with universality and perpetuity. Does universal wickedness prevail ? Behold, a universal atonement has been made. Are mortals defiled and impure ? THE EARTH AND THE GLORY OF GOD. 399 Behold, the blood of Jesus cleanseth from all sin. Is the valley of dry bones of vast extent, and is it very dry ? It needs only that the breath of the Lord sweep over it, and the bleaching mass is clothed with a new and glorious life. Does the Christian need an impulse to work for God and for men ? Behold, the love of Christ constraineth him. There is nothing more wonderful in Christian ity — we will not except even the mysteries of re demption — nothing more wonderful than its universal adaptation. It is a characteristic that pertains to no other religion on the earth. It at once stamps the religion of Christ with the broad seal of divinity. All the wisdom of the nation is found inadequate to devise even a single law that shall, for any consider able time, be adapted to the exigencies of a single state. But, thanks be to God, here is a system, re lating not only to the physical and social, but to the moral and immortal nature ; entering into and com prehending every interest of life and every function of our being ; and yet it is adapted to man alike in all ages and all nations ; adapted to man also in all the varying phases of his character and condition in all parts of the globe. In fact, there is nothing local in its character, nothing national, nothing temporary even. It may enchain with admiration and over whelm with wonder the loftiest intellect ever en throned in our humanity ; but, at the same time, a child may comprehend the sublimity of its faith and feast upon the purity of its abiding hope. If it soars above the sublimest intellect, it also comes down to the simplest saint. " If there are depths in it," said 400 SERMONS. Bishop Hall, "in which an elephant may swim, there are also streams across which a lamb may wade." Like the great deep, it has its oceans where leviathan may disport himself, but it has also its sheltered coves where the little limpet, safe sheltered and clinging to the rock, is washed and nurtured by its waves. It teaches the profoundest philosopher truths his philos ophy could never know ; and to the galley-slave, toil ing at the oar, it imparts a joy which a monarch's throne could not bestow. It supplies the felt want of the soul ; it refines and invigorates its powers ; and unites all who receive it into one great brother hood of sympathy and love. Surely this wonderful adaptation — bearing as it does the broad seal of divin ity, "and proclaiming that with it "there is neither Jew nor Greek, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free ;" but that it is for all our race — surely this should con firm our confidence in the ultimate realization of the Divine promise that all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. But there is also in the Gospel an assimilative and diffusive power which still further warrants us i7i the belief of its wiiversal spread a7id triumph. Describ ing this assimilative power, our Savior says, "The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened." Matt, xiii, 33. In the leaven there is an assimilative power, which converts that which is brought into contact with itself into its own nature. Then it extends the assimilative process further and still further, till it has penetrated the whole mass. So it is with Christianity. Coming in THE EARTH AND THE GLORY OF GOD. 40I contact with the individual, it begins the great work of the moral transmutation of the soul. Silently and mysteriously it enters the human heart, gradually melts its hardness, lets in a ray of heavenly light, disarms its prejudice, subdues its rebellion, removes the evil bias of the will, purges away the deep cor ruption of the carnal mind, and turns the whole cur rent of the moral nature heavenward. Thus does the unseen leaven of Gospel truth go down to the very depths of the human heart, and from the very center of man's moral nature work its way outward till the whole lump is leavened. Through man individually, the Gospel goes out to man collectively. As the leaven diffuses itself from one atom to another, thus extending its assimilating power throughout the whole mass, so every individ ual is an atom in the great aggregate of humanity ; and when his own heart has been assimilated with the leaven of the Cross, to him is imparted a power that may reach beyond. "Ye shall be endued," said our Lord, "with power from on high." Thus every Christian is endued with power — a power not merely social, intellectual, physical, or financial, but spirit ual — mysterious in its energy, glorious in its results. Not by one irresistible and universal display of his omnipotence did the Almighty choose to bring back our apostate and guilty race ; but he embodies and sends forth such elements of moral and spiritual power as should enter the heart of individual man, and, having there subdued and destroyed sin, should radiate from him as a new center, thus going on from individual to individual to the conquest of the 34 402 SERMONS. whole race. Then when the mighty work is accom plished, the sublime spectacle of a rebel world re deemed, saved, sanctified, shall attest to an observ ant universe the wisdom, power, and benevolence of the triune God. In the Gospel there is a power and an efficiency to accomplish this very end. It pours a new current of potent influence into all the exist ing relationships of life, demonstrating it to be the wisdom of God and the power of God to the salva tion of men. Look at Christianity in its origin and early prog ress. How mean and obscure its origin! how feeble and utterly insignificant its early advocates! And yet, behold it gradually diffusing itself abroad ; acquir ing unwonted power over the minds of men ; im planting deep in the heart the expansive principles of love and undying zeal for God ; transforming the whole nature ; going beyond the individual ; pene trating with its subtile and mysterious power the very basis of the social system ; giving a new direc tion and a new character to even imperial sway; til] upon the brow of the mightiest monarch was placed the symbol of its divinity and the seal of its triumph. When we mark this career, so full of wondrous and glorious achievement, we feel that the language of the Savior was pregnant with deep and holy mean ing when he compared the kingdom of heaven to leaven which should leaven the whole lump. We need not despair, then, of Christianity. The hidden leaven is at work. The process may be dark and mysterious, the progress imperceptible because of its slowness; but there is a resistless vitality in the THE EARTH AND THE GLORY OF GOD. 403 appointed agent. Its subtile influences are penetra ting the mass into which it has been cast ; atom after atom yields to its power, is assimilated to its like ness; and each, instead of exhausting, only adds to the resources of its power. Thus shall the Divine leaven continue to work till the whole world has become subject to its power and been assimilated to its likeness. Wherever Christianity has gone it has not only remade man, but it has remade all the institutions of social and civil life. It also remakes both in the same way ; not by mere mechanical arrangements, not by new external adjustments of the social organ ism, but by entering into and creating a new moral nature. The Gospel is the true reformer; it would purify the sources of moral influence, regulate the moral mechanism of social and conventional life, not by external reorganization, not, indeed, by any wholesale public measures, but by addressing itself to individual men, reforming and purifying individual hearts. It has been well said that " the cross stands alone in the world. It does not find friends, it makes them. If it wants an agency it has to create it. If the iron is to attract it must itself be magnetized." So when the Savior employs human instrumentality in drawing all men unto himself, he first magnetizes that agency at the cross. Only let the Church, the whole Church, be magnetized with the Divine energy of the Cross, and the most skeptical and unbelieving will no longer doubt that she possesses a power adequate to the world's redemption. Again, we find not only warrant in the Bible for 404 SERMONS. the universal spread and triumph of the Gospel, and not only an adaptation in the Gospel to this end and a power adequate to its accomplishment, but there are evident providential indications of its near ap proach. In whatever direction we turn we can not fail to read signs of the approaching triumph of the king dom of Christ. Do I turn my eye to the dark and bleeding continent of Africa, so long despoiled of her sons and daughters ? Who does not see the work of preparation, long since commenced, but still going forward? Along her coasts the beacon-lights of salvation have been erected. Christian nations are already encircling her wretched tribes with an invincible cordon of Christian power to protect from the man-hunter, the trafficker in flesh and blood with out, and to shed the light of truth upon the darkness within. But the revelations of distant promise are just now being brought home to our very door. The new discoveries in regard to the condition and resources of interior Africa, its accessibility, the thronging millions of its inhabitants, their capabili ties of civilization and Christian nurture, and the rich promise they afford as an almost boundless field for missionary labor, demonstrate that Africa is to be the theater of the next grand evolution in the mighty work of the world's redemption. The vast empire of China, for ages girt around by an invincible wall of despotism and prejudice, has been made accessible to the missionary and the Bible. The booming cannon of war and blood, min gled, indeed, with other and even sadder sounds, that THE EARTH AND THE GLORY OF GOD. 405 only a few years ago resounded over the subjugated empires of Southern Asia, what were they but the death throes of heathenism? And as they die away, behold! there comes up in tones long, and deep, and loud, the imploring appeal for the Bible and the missionary. Even the old corrupt political power of Great Britain has discovered that the foundations of her empire in that vast region can never be securely laid without the extirpation of heathenism and the planting there of the Christian religion. Thus the policy England had not sufficient principle to adopt as a matter of duty, Providence has compelled her to adopt as matter of interest, thus making even the wrath of man subservient to the great ends of the kingdom of Christ. Japan will soon be not only accessible to the missionary, but will invite him to come. So, also, in Western Asia, where the Turkish empire has so long swayed its iron rule. Behold the rod of its power already broken, and the very seat of the false prophet decayed and rotten! The in veterate prejudice of Turk against Christian, the iron gate of Islamism, is melting away, and the Turkish empire to-day is almost inviting the Bible to supplant the Koran. But we must not fail to connect these grand events with the rise of the great missionary move ment of the present age, and the increase of the resources and power of Christian nations. A little more than one hundred years ago the little band of Moravians at Herrnhutt — " the watch of the Lord " — in Germany, conceived the project of sending the Gospel to the heathen world. In 1732 behold the 406 SERMONS. little army — Christian David, Mathew Stach, and Christian Stach — landed upon the ice-bound coasts of Greenland ! What though they are compelled to live upon shell-fish and sea-weed! what though they are buffeted and even stoned by the ignorant natives! They endure as seeing Him who is invisible. Amid that region of heathen darkness and death a fire shall yet be kindled whose light shall shine and whose heat shall warm till those hills and valleys shall become as the garden of the Lord. This forlorn hope was the rising star of the modern missionary enterprise. Then appeared the little speck in a dis tant and unpropitious part of the heavens, not even so big as a man's hand; but it has been rising higher, spreading wider, till the whole earth is overspread. The movement has been slow. The Christian Church has been long in waking up to the Macedo nian cry which comes up to her from almost every part of the globe. But, thanks be to God, convic tion has at length penetrated to her very heart, and never before did the duty of evangelizing the whole earth take so deep a hold upon the followers of the Lamb as at the present day. No longer, thank God, does she need galvanizing upon the subject of Chris tian missions, for that cause is like a burning fire — inextinguishable and inexhaustible — flaming up in her very midst. And there shall it continue to burn, illuminating with its light and warming with its heat, till the frozen incrustations of selfishness are all dissolved, and she rises in the majesty and strength of her great Founder and goes forth to achieve the world's redemption. THE EARTH AND THE GLORY OF GOD. 407 When the pillar of fire moved before God's ancient people, the hosts of Israel marched onward. So now the Spirit of God is moving before the Christian Church, inviting her to march onward to the conversion of the world. The old barriers are being broken down, the old obstacles removed out of the way, and a highway for the Gospel is being opened up through all the. dark places of the earth. And at the same time the power of aggressive action on the part of those to whom the dispensation of the Gospel is committed is immeasurably increased. What sublime discoveries in science! what striking improvements in the arts have become subservient to the cause of Christ! The activity and power of intellect, the accumulation of wealth, and the unpre cedented spread of the commerce of Christian na tions into every habitable part of the globe, and now the wonderful and wide-spread outpouring of the Holy Spirit, nerving the heart of the Church anew and awakening and converting untold myriads, are so many elements of power and of responsibility, all conducing to the same end. Christendom at this very moment, through ten thousand channels of power and influence, is acting upon and controlling the destiny of the entire globe. And the Church of Christ has only to prove herself equal to the emer gency of the times, equal to the grandeur and glory of her mission, and Christianity will erelong be established in the ends of the earth. Vast regions are yet to be subdued. The valley of dry bones is almost, boundless in extent ; the bones are without number, and very dry ! But the 408 SERMONS. conquests of the Gospel in the ages that are past— its conquests over the minds, systems, and institutions of humanity — give assurance of still more brilliant achievements in the effulgent ages yet to come. Let me then learn to estimate the greatness and glory of this work — not by what has been done, or is now doing, but by the majestic revelations of the prophetic word. The work is just commenced ; the seed is just being sown ; the harvest shall erelong be gathered. The architect has just gathered together a few stones, and only the scaffolding as yet is reared ; but the grand temple shall by and by go up to its comple tion ; the top-stone shall be brought with shoutings of joy and of triumph ; and then the majestic build ing shall stand forth the wonder of all ages and of all intelligent creatures in the universe of God. We, my brethren, may go down to the grave be fore the completion of this great work. But we shall witness the work done, the trimnph complete. Bend ing over the battlements of heaven, we shall catch the mysterious, joyful sound, as it is wafted upward from our redeemed earth, and we shall bear it onward to the throne above us — our voices mingling with those of every creature in heaven and in earth — " Alleluia, the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth !" In conclusion, brethren, I will express only one or two thoughts without attempting their elaboration. i. What encouragement^ does our subject afford us to pray for the vindication of the Divine honor and the revelation of the Divine glory. in all the earth! Moses prayed ; and from the dense darkness of the darkest period in the world's history there came forth THE EARTH AND THE GLORY OF GOD. 409 a star of light and of promise which has continued to wax in brightness and glory till it has become . the blessed harbinger of the millennial triumph and reign upon our redeemed earth. Prayer — I had almost said — is more than missionaries, more than money ! Nay, it is money, and missionaries, and power that .shall be felt in the most distant part of the earth, and among the most degraded and abandoned of our race. 2. The assurance of success, of final triumph, should inspire us with boldness and confidence in this glorious warfare. The instinct of coming vic tory has inspired many a forlorn hope to achieve ments almost superhurhan. The instinct of vic tory has, in fact, won the triumph on ten thousand battle-fields. Brethren, we have the pledge of sure, unfailing triumph. Not more certainly did the pillar of fire or of cloud move before God's ancient people than does his promise, his eternal pledge, with all the sanctions of his self-existence and of his almighty power, give assurance of ultimate triumph. Could this conviction be inwrought into the very heart of the Church, how would it quicken all her energies, multiply all her activities ! and with what resistless power onward — right onward to the conquest of the world ! 3. Our last remark is, that our labor and efforts should be proportioned to the greatness of the results we aim to accomplish. Measured by this standard, the scantiness of our offerings, the poverty of our sympathy, and the feebleness of our exertions seem but solemn mockery. May God breathe upon us, 35 410 SERMONS. and upon his whole Church, the full inspiration of that great missionary spirit which shall diffuse the Pentecostal fire, and zeal, and power through all her length and breadth, calling forth grander offerings, and invoking toils more heroic, and sacrifices more resplendent, for the redemption of the world ! THE TEMPLE BUILT AND BLESSED. 4 1 1 XVI. THE TEMPLE BUILT AND THE TEMPLE BLESSED. A DEDICATION SERMON, PREACHED AT THE OPENING OF THE LECTURE AND SUNDAY SCHOOL ROOMS OF TRINITY METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, CIN., DEC. 18, 1859. " Who hath commanded you to build this house and to make up this wall?" 'Ezra, v, 3. "In all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee." Exodus xx, 24. I HAVE selected these two passages — the first as eminently suggestive of the obligation to erect temples for the living God, and the second as ex pressive of the great ends or purposes for which they should be erected. "The temple built and the temple blessed" will, then, constitute the general theme of our discussion this morning. I. First, then, the temple built. Whence the authority — the obligation ? " Who hath commanded you to build this house?" 1. It is proper that this question should be asked. When the seventy years' bondage of the Jews was drawing to its close, there were found among them, even in their captivity, some whose "spirit 412 SERMONS. God had raised to go up to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem." No sooner had they reached the Holy City, and provided comfortable homes for their families, than they commenced the rebuilding of the temple. The inhabitants of the land regarded the work with jealous eyes, and sought to defeat it by every possible means. At length they succeeded in obtaining a royal edict that the work should cease "till another commandment" should be issued by the imperial sovereign authorizing it to proceed. Having obtained this decree, their enemies hastened up to Jerusalem and compelled the Jews "to cease by force and power." For three years the work stood still. Then the people, without waiting for a new decree, but trusting in the living God, rose up and began again to build the temple, "and with them were the prophets of God helping them." As might have been expected, the opposition of their enemies was renewed. Tatnai, the governor of the Persian provinces this side of the Euphrates, was stirred up, and came to investigate the matter. And when he came " to the house of the great God " and saw it was builded with great stones, and timber was laid in the walls, and that the work was going fast on, and prospering in the hands of the people, he demanded of the elders, " Who hath commanded you to build this house and to make up this wall?" The answer was simple and sublime: "We are the serv ants of the God of heaven and earth." As if they had said, "We claim not that another commandment has been given, not that we are endowed with the authority of the Persian king, but we have the THE TEMPLE BUILT AND BLESSED. 413 authority of Him who is above all kings — 'the God of heaven and earth.' " It is fitting that the question should be asked of you, my brethren, and, indeed, of all who are en gaged jn the work of building a temple for the wor ship of the living God. It is a question that will be asked. It will sometimes come from enemies, as it did to the Jews when rebuilding the temple ; some times from friends and brethren, who, from kind and sympathizing motives, would know the grounds of action and the prospects of success. But whether this question comes from others, or whether it does not, every one engaged in building a house for God should ask it of himself, "Who hath commanded us to build this house; from whom have we derived authority ; what are the motives by which we have been influenced, and what are the purposes we design to accomplish by this work ?" Coming up to-day to consecrate the portion of this new temple completed to the service of God, I trust you will not only ponder this question in your hearts, my brethren, but that you will also be able, with the same unhesitating confidence that was mani fested by the builders of the second temple, to re spond, " We .are the servants of the God of heaven and earth" — we build at his command, on his author ity, and for his glory. 2. But how may we ascertain the Divine will and become impressed with the reality of the Divine command ? By the utterance of his voice the Lord com manded his people, while yet in the wilderness, to 414 SERMONS. bring of their most precious things and erect a tabernacle that he might dwell in their midst. So, also, by distinct revelation, through the mouth of his prophet, was Solomon authorized to build that great temple, which, for its architectural magnificence, and for the sublime symbols of the Divine presence and glory that filled and crowned it, became the wonder of the world. And even the second temple was the offspring of that Divine word which said "to Jerusa lem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid." But we may not expect to hear the voice of God uttered from the clouds and darkness of Sinai, or coming down through the parted heavens. Nor does the holy prophet any more come forth, robed with the burning mantle of Divine inspiration, and armed with a "Thus saith the Lord," to bid us build a house for the God of heaven. No, my brethren, God leaves us to interpret his will from his word, and from our own condition and the condition of society around us. Am I possessed of the means of benefi cence, and do I see a poor, wretched fellow-mortal hungry, and naked, and pinched with the freezing cold, though Sinai uttered her ten thousand thun ders, and though the voice of Divine command came down through the parted heavens, they could not add one jot to the authority and expressiveness of the obligations to minister to the wretched and suf fering one. The fact is, the will of God, ascertained in the light of his word and of providential indications, is as clear and emphatic an enunciation of the Divine THE TEMPLE BUILT AND BLESSED. 415 command as though it was written in letters of liv ing light upon the heavens above us. So, you, brethren, were led to study the will of God in his providential indications. You weighed these providential indications deliberately, thought fully. There was a duty to your children; whether you would make your church more inviting and attractive to them ; awaken within them a deeper in terest and make them feel a deeper reverence for it ; whether you would place your little ones by your side in the church of God, and thus make the parental and the domestic bond subservient to the religious ; in a word, whether you would create in them the home feeling, and bind them to the Church by the home attachment. There was also a duty to the young people of your flock — a large, intelligent, and gifted class, and of great promise in the future; whether you should give them the home feeling in the church, make attractions that should bind them in all coming time, awaken an enterprise that should stimulate their activities and cultivate their gifts, and thus make them more efficient workers for God and humanity. There was also a duty to the community around you; and it became a question of absorbing interest, how you could reach and affect the largest number, and thus not only save the souls of men, but enlist new and powerful agencies in the cause of religion. Again, there was a duty to our beloved Methodism. Regarding it as one of the great agen cies, approved of Heaven, for spreading Scriptural holiness and redeeming and saving the world, you could not disregard your obligation to contribute 41 6 SERMONS. what you might to ennoble its character and enlarge the sphere of its influence in this great and growing city of the West. All these considerations did you weigh with a calmness indicative of your delibera tion, and of your conscientious desire to ascertain the will of God and your duty — considerate to the feelings of those who hesitated and doubted — patient to consider all objections, so that even the objector still found himself bound to you in sympathy and love. Then came a strength of conviction and a tide of feeling which distinctly recognized the voice of God and the call of duty. And should the ques tion be put to-day, " Who hath commanded you to build this house and to make up this wall?" I have no doubt the ready response of your hearts would be, 'i We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth ; at his command these stones are laid ; at his command these timbers are placed in the walls ; and by his favor the work goeth fast on, and prospereth in our hands." 3. What kind of a house hath God commanded you to build ? " Who hath commanded you to build this house ?" This question comes up as one of the elements that must be taken into the account in the determ ination of the specific duty of a society engaged in such a work. We do not introduce it for the pur pose of animadverting upon the style or architecture of the present edifice ; but that we may elucidate a principle which should lie at the foundation of all our offerings to the God of heaven. That principle is simply this — that our offeri7ig should be the most THE TEMPLE BUILT AND BLESSED. 417 perfect we ca7i possibly render. The most exalted thoughts, and the purest and most ennobling affec tions, are due unto God. For outward offerings, the people were to take the best fruits of the field, the best lambs of the flock, and the best bullocks of the herd. That is, each man was to take the best of his own possession, and offer it to the Lord. That is, again, his offering was to rise in excel lence and perfection according to the perfection of the products of his own fields and flocks. But, not only in the sacrifices of worship, but also in the places where the worship was to be offered, the same prin ciple was observed. The pattern of the tabernacle showed to Moses in the mount, the directions given for its construction and adornment, were such as could " not fail to fix in the minds of Israel the great and important principle — that their richest posses sions, such as silver and gold, and their best work manship, such as carving arid embroidery, should be consecrated to his service." The tent and tabernacle were the best offering Israel could then make. But when the great city had been founded, and the pal aces of the king and the princes had been reared, David felt the impropriety of dwelling in a house of cedar, while "the ark of God dwelt within curtains." And the temple reared by Solomon was not only more substantial and durable but also more exquisite in its architecture and costly in its material. This principle — that man's best offerings should be consecrated to God — is the same now that it was four thousand years ago. Not that gold and silver, any more than the firstlings of Abel's flocks, are acceptable 41 8 SERMONS. to him for their own sakes. The precious metals of the earth are his, and the "cattle upon a thousand hills," but the spirit of sacrifice which takes of our possessions and consecrates them to his service he approves — the spirit such as David had, when he said, "Neither will I offer burnt-offerings unto the Lord my God which costs me nothing ;" and which would not allow him to rest contented in his palace of ce dar "while the ark of the Lord lodged within cur tains" — a spirit the very opposite of that which arches and decorates a man's own dwelling ; and which surrounds him with gilded ornaments and costly furniture, and yet leaves the house of God in which he worships rude in structure and dispropor tionate in form. Should you travel through a State and see the people occupying homes that indicate worldly comfort, if not abundance, and then see the school-houses in which their children were educated rude, ragged, and dilapidated — what would be your inference ? In such light, let us weigh our obliga tions to the Church. Again, there should, as far as practicable, be some correspondence between the object and the building. Why are your high schools, your colleges, your courts of justice, your State capitols made to tower up in the grandeur of architectural proportions ? Why ? Merely for display ? No ! There is a nobler purpose than this. It is that they may comport with the dig nity of their design ; may inspire in the hearts of the people a reverence for the majesty of science, for the administration of justice, and for the honor and dig nity of the State. But what grander theme than that THE TEMPLE BUILT AND BLESSED. 419 of the Cross of Christ ? What science more pro found or majestic than the science of salvation ? What education of higher dignity or moment than that which trains an immortal for the skies ? What edifice, on all the earth, erected by human hands, should more deeply command the respect of the people, and in its very nature be adapted to com mand that respect, than that which is consecrated as the dwelling-place of the Most High ? We are not contending for exquisite elaboration and expensive ornament in houses of worship. Far from it. The very opposite. Simplicity is the char acteristic of beauty ; it is characteristic of all the works of God !¦¦ That beauty, so delicately imprinted upon the architecture of the heavens above us and upon the earth around us, is one of God's agencies for educating the intellectual powers and the moral sentiments of the race. If beauty is opposed to spir ituality, why has God filled up his universe with the very perfection of exquisite workmanship and sym metrical beauty ? Our religion is emphatically spir itual ; but, when God has surrounded us with such wondrous teachings, can we imagine that it must be clothed in rough and repulsive forms in order that its spirituality may be preserved ? Can we imagine now, under the dispensation of the Gospel, any more than in the time of David, that it is a mark of spirituality for men to build better houses for themselves than they build for God ? Nay, my brethren, the simple principle that ma7is best offeri7igs should be consecrated to God, has remained the same in all ages. This principle simply requires that if we can build only 420 SERMONS. the log church, we shall select for it the best logs we can get, and God will accept the offering and crown the humble temple with his presence and glory. Shame on the man who will select a better log, burn a better brick, or carve a finer stone for his own, house, than for the house of the Lord ! And so, in every stage of human society, let men do the best they can — not for pride or vainglory, but because it is God's house ; and such offering shall be acceptable in his sight. Such, I think, is a clear elucidation of the princi ples involved in this question. Take them home, my brethren, to yourselves ; weigh your own enterprise in this light ; analyze the motives and principles by which you have been actuated ; and if you shall find that they are consistent with this great obligation to the God of heaven and earth, you may confidently expect to realize the crowning blessing indicated in our text : " In all places where 'I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee." II. The second branch of general theme is the blessirig that shall come upon the temple and those that worship therein. " In all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee." What, then, are the results we are warranted to expect in the erection of temples for the worship of God ? What the ends we may hope to realize ? This text implies three things — the Divine accept ance, the Divine presence, and the Divine blessing. i. The Divine acceptance — where I record my na7ne. This promise was made to Moses, and with direct THE TEMPLE BUILT AND BLESSED. 42 1 reference to the altar upon which sacrifices were to be offered. God had told Moses what kind of an altar he should build, what kind of sacrifices he should lay upon it ; and then says : " In all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee." It is clear, then, that specific ref erence was had to the place where the altar stood — where the lamb bled — -and where the smoke of sacri fice ascended. My brethren, there is no altar now, no bleeding lamb, no smoking sacrifice. But does the promise therefore fail ? Nay, brethren, this is a most precious legacy to the whole Church of God in all ages. Read it again — " In all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee." We now need no altar, because we have no sacrifice and no priest ; we have no sacrifice and no priest, because now the altar, the sacrifice, the priest — all center in Him who hath " appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." We see, then, where God now records his name. It is wherever — in every nation and in every place, where He, of whom the altar, the lamb, and the temple were but the type and the sign — Christ crucified is preached as God's only Son and man's only Savior ; where the minister points to the only sacrifice that taketh away the sin of the world ; it is there that God records his name ; comes unto his people and blesses them. May we not look, then, brethren, that God shall "record his name" in this new temple of worship erected to his praise? So long as Christ and Christ crucified only is preached here — so long as the pure incense of spiritual worship shall go up from sincere 422 SERMONS. and believing hearts — and God grant that these walls may crumble and perish before any other doctrine is preached, or any other worship offered here! — so long as this is done, you will never, never fail, nor your children that shall come after you, to realize the fulfillment of the promise — " In all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee." 2. The second result is the Divine presence — " I will come unto thee." In the history of God's ancient people, the taber nacle and the temple were the peculiar places of the Divine manifestation. It was there that God was pleased to record his name and give to them those manifestations of his presence and favor that filled their hearts with unspeakable joy, and led them to exclaim, "A day in thy courts is better than a thou sand. I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness." And it is in the house of God, in all ages of the world, and in all places wherever a temple has been truly and spiritually consecrated to him, that he has been pleased to record his name and manifest his glorious presence to his people. When Solomon had completed the magnificent temple at Jerusalem, and, by a solemn act, was about to consecrate it as the dwelling-place of the Most High, awed and overwhelmed by his conceptions of the majesty of the Godhead, he inquires whether it could be possible that God would take up his abode in the house he had built : " But will God, in very deed, dwell with men on the earth ? Behold, heaven, THE TEMPLE BUILT AND BLESSED. 423 and the heaven of heavens, can not contain thee; how much less this house which I have built !" And yet how soon was the Almighty pleased to scatter his doubts and dissipate his fears! How soon and how distinctly did he respond to the inquiry so doubtingly put forth! For hardly had the solemn rites of consecration ceased — hardly had the voice of prayer died away, when "the fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt-offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the house." Perhaps some of you, beloved brethren, as you have watched the progress of this, your temple of worship, as you have seen its materials gathered together, its foundations laid, its walls reared, and finally the structure opened for the sacred duties of religion, perhaps you have felt the same solicitude that was manifested by the king of Israel. Perhaps it has been your anxious inquiry, Will God condescend to dwell in the temple we have reared? Will it be a place where he will manifest his glory to his peo ple? A place where his power shall be felt and his name recorded? A place where the tear of the mourner shall flow down and the song of the re deemed be heard ? And as you have come up to-day to make an offering of this house to the God of hosts, to consecrate it as the dwelling-place of the Most High, have your beating hearts exclaimed, " But will God, in very deed, dwell with men on the earth? Behold, heaven, and the heaven of heavens, can not contain thee ; how much less this house which we have built!" My brethren, God can as distinctly answer this question and resolve this doubt 424 SERMONS. as he did when the assembled hosts of Israel were overwhelmed with his glory. And though no audi ble voice may ring through the vaulted archway of the sky above us, and no visible flame descend from the highest heavens, yet, upon the altar of our hearts, the holy fire may kindle and burn, and this house be filled with the glory of the Lord. O, thou that dwellest between the cherubim, shine forth to-day ! Shine forth i7ito our hearts as we wait at thy foot stool ; shi7ie fo7'th into this, thy te7nple, that it may beco7ne the house of God, and the gate of heaven to our souls ! In the first temple the fire which descended from heaven on the day of consecration, and continued to burn as a living flame upon the altar ; and the she- kinah, a mysterious and supernatural blending of light and shade, over the mercy-seat, and beneath the wings of the cherubim, in the holy of holies, were the peculiar symbols of the Divine presence. During the captivity Jerusalem was wasted and ru ined ; the temple was desecrated and robbed ; the sacrifices ceased, and the holy fire went out upon the altar, and even the holy of holies was pillaged of its sacred deposit, and the shekinah forever departed. The second temple, built by the Jews on their return from Babylon, had indeed its holy of holies, con structed after the pattern of the former ; but the ark of the covenant, the tables of stone, the mercy-seat, the divine fire upon the altar, and, above all, the she kinah, the crowning glory of the whole, were never recovered ! Was not this the reason why the ancient men, who had seen, the first temple in all its glory, THE TEMPLE BUILT AND BLESSED. 425 wept when they beheld the second ? What was it to them, that it was constructed upon the same site and after the same pattern as the former ? Alas, the holy fire no longer burned upon its altar ; and the she- kinah no longer made its dwelling in the most holy place ! Alas, for us, my brethren, when the holy fire no longer burns upon the altars of our spiritual Is rael, and the shekinah — the Holy Ghost — ceases to make its abode in the sanctum sanctorum of our hearts ! We may then have our costly and magnifi cent edifices of worship — graceful in their propor tions, beautiful and imposing in their architecture ; their seats may be thronged with refined and wealthy congregations ; their vaulted arches may reverberate with the choicest strains of melody ; the schools of human learning may contribute eloquent and refined thought to feast the intellect and tickle the fancy of the gathered multitude. — and the ceremonies of relig ion be performed with increasing pomp and splendor. But, alas ! the whole would want vitality, and, under its Lethean influence, immortal souls would be lulled into spiritual lethargy, and slumber on till roused by angry surges rolling up upon the dark shores of per dition. The mighty stream of death would lave the very threshold of the sanctuary, and on its bosom immortal souls would be borne from the Church of God to the gates of hell ! May God avert so fearful a calamity from our spiritual Israel ! Blessed be God that the promise yet remains : " I will come unto thee !" It is the Divine presence that makes the house of God precious to his saints in all ages. " The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than 36 426 SERMONS. all the dwellings of Jacob." Why, then, should we wonder to hear the Christian exclaim with exultant joy : "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem !" In that epitome of divine blessings and of glorious triumphs recorded in the 23d Psalm, the climax of sublime anticipation is reached in the assured confidence — " I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Brethren, let us never forget that the gracious presence — the indwell ing of Christ — constitutes the life of the Church. I protest to you, before God to-day, that I would rather preach salvation to dying men in the meanest and darkest hovel, cheered and assured by the presence of Christ, than in the most gorgeous temple where Christ's gracious presence was not. The promise of God to the Jews was, " that the glory of the latter house should be greater than Qf the former ;" because "the desire of all nations shall come" — not as in the old temple, by sign and symbol, but as a personal presence — God manifest in the flesh. My brethren, the symbols — the bleeding lamb, the smoking altar, the mysterious shekinah — are not here. But the promise — I will come imto thee — remains forever. " Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in." Come in, thou King of glory, into this temple to-day. Dwell here — not merely in the sac rament, in the prayer, the sacred song, and in the doctrinal truth, but, O, dwell here a spi7'itual presence. Then shall be realized in this place what was pro claimed with a loud voice from heaven : " Behold the THE TEMPLE BUILT AND BLESSED. 427 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." 3. Finally, a third result is the Divine blessing — "And I will bless thee." It is much to have the Divine presence — to feel that the King eternal and immortal is with us ! But, O, to have him come unto us for such a purpose — to bless us — to satisfy our souls with the goodness of his house — is a condescension that fills even the angels of heaven with wonder and with praise. He will bless you with the unfolding and the indwelling of that word which consists not in the letter only, but its spirit, life. What a wondrous revelation is that! What depth of sympathy for the suffering and the lost; what words of hope to the guilty and despairing; how rich in promise to the penitent; what a store-house of comfort to the believer; how inspiring to his faith; with what mighty strength does it gird him for his pilgrimage ; what victories over sin does it insure ; what triumphs over the powers of darkness ; what glorious illumina tion and safe conduct in the dark valley ; and what heavenly bliss beyond! Amid the din and uproar of the world — when the heart is sad and the soul weary — you may come up to this house, drink from the living fountain, rise refreshed, and go forth with new vigor to battle the stern elements of the worldly conflict, and to struggle onward and upward for the heavenly prize. As in the workshop of the lapidary, the jewel is cut and polished till it is made to stud a monarch's crown, so here, in this sanctuary, shall 428 SERMONS. the Holy Spirit polish and beautify immortal souls that shall sparkle like diamonds in the crown of the dear Redeemer. May this house be the battle-field of many a con flict waged against the power of darkness — the scene of many a glorious triumph of the cross of Christ! May it be the city of refuge to many a weary and heavy-laden sinner; the birthplace of many an im mortal soul; the house of prayer, where many a deathless spirit, freed from the corruptions of sin, shall bear witness to the sanctifying of the blood of Jesus, and plume its pinions for the skies! May it be the threshold of glory, the gate of heaven to many a believer! Long after these men and women of God, who have given to this work their means, their labors, and their prayers shall have gone to their rest, may these walls continue to stand — with the recorded name of the Eternal still uneffaced and glorious — filled with the Divine presence and en riched with the Divine blessing! Here may the light of eternity forever brightly shine! Here may multitudes upon multitudes in all coming generations be trained not only for the service of God on earth, but for the work and the joy of heaven, that in the distant ages of eternity many an immortal spirit, radiant with heavenly light, and shining among the thrones of heaven, shall look back with joyful recol lection to this place as having been to them "the house of God and the gate of heaven !" My brethren, this is to be the Sabbath home of yourselves and your children. It is the consecrated place where you shall feast upon the life-giving word THE TEMPLE BUILT AND BLESSED. 429 of the dear Redeemer, where you shall enjoy the communion of the saints, and, above all, where in an especial manner you shall enjoy a Divine presence — the presence of your living Head. It is the sacred place where the water of sprinkling shall welcome your children to the blessings of the covenant of their and your Lord. It is where you are to be nurtured and trained for the worship and service of that higher and nobler temple, the house of God, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. May your Heavenly Father satisfy you with the goodness of his house — even of his holy temple! May you, and the generations who shall worship in this house after you, realize, from Sabbath to Sab bath in all coming time, the precious fulfillment of the Divine promise, " In all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee!" 430 SERMONS. XVII. A THANKSGIVING DISCOURSE. DELIVERED IN MORRIS CHAPEL, CINCINNATI, DECEMBER 7, 1865. " Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name." Psalm c, 4. IN obedience to the call of the Chief Executive of the State and the Nation, we are assembled in the house of God to offer public thanksgiving for the blessings that have crowned the year. Had we a National Church vested with a semi official character and function, we might look upon the movement as one of State or National policy ; and it would thus be divested of much of its spiritual character and its moral significance. But no such Church exists. Over every Church the Government spreads the segis of its protecting care ; but no one is so interwoven with the machinery of the Govern ment itself as to become a part and parcel of the National policy. The movement of this day, then, is evidently a religious movement, springing from the deep, moral, and religious conviction of the people, and reaching up to the Executive head of the State and Nation, just as our liberties spring from, and are maintained A THANKSGIVING DISCOURSE. 43 1 by, the people ; so the grand spectacle exhibited this day, of nearly thirty States in their sovereign capac ity, and the whole Nation, wherever true allegiance is found, assembling to pour out thanksgiving for in dividual and National blessings, finds both its origin and its manifestation in the will and the purpose of the American people. It is the voice of the people, saying : " Come and let us worship God ; let us enter into his house with thanksgiving, and fill his courts with praise." How, then, may we best improve the hour, so as to secure the ends for which we are assembled, and meet the requirements of the day ? The discussion of some of the great principles that underlie the fabric of our social and civil institutions, might, in deed, be pertinent and instructive ; as might also the presentation and enforcement of the peculiar duties imposed upon us by the stirring events of the present time. But it shall be ours this morning to attempt to bring our hearts into more complete sympathy with the objects of the day, and to inspire a deeper gratitude, and call forth a loftier devotion, by reciting some of the personal and National blessings that should swell our thanksgiving, and fill the courts of the Lord's house with our songs of praise on this auspicious day. 1. First, then, let us be grateful that we live to greet another day of thanksgiving. It is no small thing that we live. The agencies of death have been around us all the year. Their work has been going on. Myriads of our race have passed away amid all the variety of woe. Youth and 432 SERMONS. strength have withered at the cold touch of death, and the voice of gladness has become silent in the grave forever. When we consider how complicated the machinery of our bodies is — the fine and delicate parts of which it is composed, and that the disturb ance of any one of them is sufficient to disarrange and destroy the whole system — and then when we look at the innumerable causes of disease and death surrounding us at every moment — as it were, death itself watching with sleepless eye at every gateway of life — the wonder is not that so many die so soon, but that any live so long. During the year past we have seen death descend ing upon hoary age, and with all the hoarded treas ures of wisdom and knowledge, it has passed away. We have seen its shaft gleaming across the horizon of life, and the strong man has bowed himself to rise no more. We have looked down into the grave of youth and beauty, and heard the muffled sound of the clods as they fell upon blighted joys and coffined hopes. Still we live ! A thousand shafts, sent forth on their mission of death, have darkened the air all around us ; but we have stood unharmed amid them all. A thousand perils have fallen harmless at our feet. The shield of the Almighty has been round about us, and our defense has been sure. And then, too, let us bear in mind how ill deserv ing we have been of all this care ! How selfish have been our aims ! How worldly our objects ! How little we have thought of God ! How little we have done for God ! And yet God has spared us ; spread over us the shield of his protection ; nurtured us with A THANKSGIVING DISCOURSE. 433 unceasing care, and brought us safely through all the varied scenes of another year ! Let us, then, enter into his courts with thanksgiving and with songs of praise ! 2. Domestic and family blessings are another cause for joy and thanksgiving. Look out upon society. Into how many a family circle has the grim monster entered to execute his commission of death! The rose has faded upon the cheek of beauty. The features of loved ones, ever beaming with intelligence and overspread with the warm glow of affection, have become transfixed and chilled to the whiteness of cold and icy marble. Bereavement and sorrow have darkened all the dwelling, and breaking hearts have uttered their moans of agony by the graves of the loved and the lost. The son of promise and of hope — the child that was to be the light to the dim eye and strength to the palsied limbs of age — the child that was to bear the family name and honor to the future ! Alas ! he is not. Untimely was the hour that ended his brief life, and now breaking hearts follow him down to the grave. The daughter of loveliness and affection, whose charm, like that of an angelic presence, dif fused the beauty and fragrance of holy love through out the dwelling; the little child, like a blooming flower, whose beauty received inimitable touches from the pencil of the skies — the sweet cherub lent to earth to remind us of heaven's purity— filling the whole house with joy, and kindling affections lovely as they were heaven-like ! Alas ! they are not. The 37 434 SERMONS. blight of death has fallen upon that picture of purity and blotted it out forever. But, beloved, is it ours to come with unbroken households before God to-day? Are our sons and our daughters yet with us? Are our home joys as yet unmarred? is the light of our dwellings still un dimmed by any of those sad bereavements by which earth's joys are blighted and human hearts are bruised and broken ? Are your heart-treasures as yet all with you? Then, as you look around upon them, and the sight gladdens the eye, let it also warm your heart with gratitude to the great Pre server of your blessings, and inspire your songs of joy and thanksgiving. But look abroad again. In how many homes does poverty — care-consuming, pinching poverty — make its permanent abode ! Daily toil scarcely suffi ces to provide for daily wants. The humblest and coarsest fare is all that is craved, and that, alas! often craved in vain. How often does the very image of poverty, thinly clad, shivering in the Win ter's cold, with hasty step and averted eye, glide past us upon all our streets! Go to the desolate, cheer less home of want; mark its nakedness of all that is essential to home comfort ; think how hard those parents toil, and how little they earn; how much those children need, and how little they have. And as you stand there amid that scene of poverty and want, as you feel the pressure of their necessities, and your heart yearns toward them, ask thyself, " Who has made them to differ, and what hast thou which thou hast not received?" Ought not this A THANKSGIVING DISCOURSE. 435 thought to inspire our hearts with gratitude and call forth our thanksgiving for the temporal blessings we enjoy?Look abroad once more. In how many homes are there growing up children, careless, wayward, selfish, and sinful! It may be the result of failure in duty or lack of capability on the part of parents ; it may result from an injudicious use of the gifts of fortune, for how often are children ruined from this cause ! or it may be from the natural perverseness of the children themselves, yielding more and still more to the promptings of evil passions or the allurements of sensual pleasures, till all that was true, and noble, and hopeful in their character has given place to all that is base, and sinful, and damning! The yearning affection of parents is repaid with in gratitude ; their prayers and pleadings are all in vain ; the fond hopes they cherished in the infancy of their children, though nurtured by all the assidu ity of a parent's love, one by one expire, till all are perished and dead. O, the skeleton that hangs in such a house ! What can so chill and pain a parent's heart? Poverty, and sickness, and death, even to the dearest objects of our love, are blessings by the side of such a sorrow as this. Beloved, have you children, dutiful, affectionate, and true? Are there those in your little home-flock, in whom are seen the buddings of a noble character, aspirations after whatsoever things are pure and of good report? Have you even one child of whom you can say, This, my son, or my daughter, will neither disappoint nor desert me. in the future ? then, 436 SERMONS. happy are you. That child is worth more to you, will afford you more substantial comfort, and is to-day a higher cause of gratitude and thanksgiving to the God of heaven than if golden treasures had been poured into your lap. 3. The abundant productions of the earth, filling the land with plenty, and supplying abundant food for man and beast, is another cause for thanksgiving on the part of all the people. It was a beautiful custom of the Jews to bring the first fruits of the harvest as a thank-offering to God. And when "the fruit of the land" had been gathered, then came the "feast of tabernacles," cele brated with joy and thanksgiving through an entire week. With "boughs of goodly trees," such as the palm, the willow, and the myrtle, tied together by gold and silver cords, held aloft in their hands, the people marched into the temple and around the altar, singing Hosanna! From this beautiful custom the Revelator draws that sublime imagery by which he would portray the bliss of the saints in heaven, stand ing before the throne, " clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands," and singing with a loud voice, " Salvation to our God !" So among us, " the harvest home " has been a day of gladness and festiv ity. The orator and the poet have not deemed it an occasion unworthy of their inspiration. How fitting, then, that, as Christians, recognizing that it is God who has crowned the year with his goodness, we should come before him with thanks giving and praise! Indeed, as a people, we are a marvel to ourselves. More than a million of our A THANKSGIVING DISCOURSE. 437 men have been drawn away from the ordinary pur suits of life, and by far the greater portion of them from the peaceful pursuits of agriculture, by the stern necessities of war. Hundreds of thousands, tempted by the lure of gold, are scattered all over our almost boundless interior territories — scaling the summits of the Rocky Mountains, threading the vast, barren, alkaline, and sandy wastes of the great inland desert, penetrating deep down into the bowels of the Sierra Nevadas — to develop the golden treasures scattered all over those vast regions and imbedded by the God of nature in the everlasting rocks. Who would have supposed that all this drain could have been made upon us without an exhaustion and failure of our agricultural resources? But, thanks be to God, no where has he suffered us to fail or per mitted us to want. Our beautiful and boundless prairies, our " bottom lands " of exhaustless fertility, still teem with their overflowing abundance. Every acre of our broad, almost boundless domain is still made to yield its tribute and swell the overflowing abundance of our land. Indeed, by the appliances of art to agriculture, human labor has, in a great measure, been supplanted by mechanical ingenuity. The human brain has supplied whatever was lacking in human muscle. Then, too, our vast mineral re sources have opened a field of activity and enter prise, which abundantly repay the toil and care of the laborer. All our manufacturing interests and commercial enterprises have been prosecuted with almost une- qualed success. The sound of famine, and pestilence, 438 SERMONS. and the desolations of war have been heard in the distance; but, staid by the merciful hand of God — held in abeyance by his omnipotent power — it has not come nigh thee. It is a sublime thought, and one that may chal lenge our gratitude and adoration, that, through so many ages, God has presided over the course of the seasons, causing them to bring forth their fruits in unvarying order. The stability of the heavens and the consistency of the seasons are wonderful demon stration of the unchanging God. 4. But perhaps the most prominent cause for National thanksgiving — the cause that makes the strongest appeal to the heart, and stirs most deeply the emotions of the soul — at this hour, is the restora tion of peace to our beloved land. For four long years there has swept over the land a bloody and desolating civil war, such as no nation in all the history of the world has ever witnessed — a war that, for a time, made the very foundations of the Republic tremble — a war where was poised in the scale not merely the freedom of four millions of the enslaved of our own land, but the great prin ciple of self-government in all lands. This war has ended in the triumph of our National arms. That triumph has been so complete, so decisive, as to set tle for all coming time the great questions of seces sion and rebellion. The thunder-storm that threat ened to ingulf all that was dear to us as a nation — whether in the history of the past, the liberties of the present, or the hopes of the future — has swept over us in its desolating course ; but its force is A THANKSGIVING DISCOURSE. 439 spent; and now, amid the almost preternatural still ness that has succeeded the roar of the tempest, the bright sun of peace breaks through the rifted cloud of war and gilds the land with the gladness of its golden rays. A little while ago, every thing that was great and good seemed to be in peril — ahnost lost! But now the fabric of American liberties has settled down upon foundations, firm as the everlasting hills ! The institutions purchased for us by the toil and blood of our fathers — now purified by the shock of war, as the atmosphere is purified by the shock of the thunder storm — shall stand forth firmer and brighter, the home of liberty, the asylum of the oppressed in all the coming ages. . As the year ushered in, the whole land trembled beneath the martial tread of contending foes. There were the hurryings forth of sires, husbands, and sons — followed with the tears, and prayers, and ben edictions of loving hearts. Alas ! many of them went forth to return no more. Their precious dust molders beneath the soil redeemed by their valor, and consecrated to liberty forever by their blood. As the year was ushered in, dark portents skirted along the sky, filling many hearts with doubt and dread. Now all these have passed away, and the blessed sunlight of peace has dawned upon all the land. From this grand summit of our elevation, then, may we look back upon the past and recount the causes of thanksgiving in all the steps through which God has led us. We should be thankful that, 440 SERMONS. when the war came, there was still social and polit ical virtue enough left to save the nation. We should be thankful for the noble men who, with hearts all aglow with burning patriotism, rushed to the field of carnage and of death to save the life of the nation. They were no hirelings, merely sent forth to do the bidding of despotic power, but they were freemen, nurtured in the school of liberty, and their memories shall forever live as the worthy champions of liberty's holy cause. We should be thankful that, after many untimely births of short-lived generals, the insignificance of whose achievements now only live to be placed in sober contrast with the grandeur of their preten sions — we say that we should be thankful that, when the generals of the gaudy plume and the grand re view had sported their brief day, there came up the sturdy champions of the fight — men who, in deeds, surpassed all the achievements of the heroes of the olden time ; men worthy of the cause for which they fought; men worthy of the heroes they led forth to battle and to victory. Such was he that scaled the mountain's rugged sides in defiance of the leaden hail, and planted the victorious banner of his coun try above the clouds. Such was he who, "twenty miles away," scented the battle upon the gale, and by that marvelous ride, arrested the flying fragments of his broken army, and, single-handed, plucked vic tory from the very jaws of defeat. Such was he who, in that splendid "march to the sea," eclipsed the famous march of the ten thousand Greeks in ancient history, and cut his swath of devastation forty miles A THANKSGIVING DISCOURSE. 441 in width, four hundred miles through the very heart of rebeldom. Such was he, the sturdy hero of a hundred battles, who, amid horrors that would have daunted the bravest generals, fought it out upon the steady line of heroic purpose, till the last armed foe of his country was compelled to yield to the prowess of his arms. Yes, thank God for such men as Thomas, and Butler, and Hooker, and Sheridan, and Sherman, and Grant — names forever illustrious in the annals of their country's history! But there was one America can never forget. In our earlier struggle for liberty, God gave a Wash ington to the American people. In the great strug gle for the consolidation and final establishment of those liberties, God gave us an Abraham Lincoln. With an honest purpose "to follow the right as God had given him to see the right," he toiled . on through the long years of bloody strife, waging an undying warfare against "armed treason," but with his great heart all the while " void of malice to any," and yearning to lift from the repenting rebel the calamities his treason had heaped upon him. Already had the day-dawn of triumph broken upon the land, and his weary eye brightened as he beheld his " big job," to use his own homely but expressive phrase, completed. But, like Moses of old, it was his to lead the people through the sea of blood and the wilder ness of strife, but not to enter the promised land. Another sacrifice was demanded, that the fiendish spirit of the rebellion might be made to stand out in all its naked deformity before the civilized world, and 442 SERMONS. Abraham Lincoln fell a martyr to his great work and his holy cause. Illustrious martyr! A nation's tears, warm and gushing from the heart, bedewed his pathway to the tomb ; and we hail his memory as that of a second Washington, sent by God to be the savior of the nation. The great crowning act of his life — the culminating point in the great contest — was that immortal proclamation which knocked the shackles from every bondman in all the land, and said to four millions of the enslaved — be free — be men! Now, in the winding up of the great contest, we must not wonder if many who have been in rebell ion fail to comprehend the magnanimity with which they have been treated. They have not yet com prehended the blackness and baseness of their own crime. Light will break in upon them by and by. Nor must we wonder that, though thoroughly de feated and humbled, the spirit of secession outlives its power, and that men, with empty bravado and impotent malice, show what they would still be glad to do had they the power. We must have patience with such. Time will, erelong, soften their asperity; a new and better civilization will force into the current of their thought j uster ideas and better feel ings ; and, at all events, they will find that their freaks of folly and madness, while they are powerless as against the nation, only hedge up their own path of reconstruction, now so ardently desired. Strong as is the nation, not only in the prowess of her arms, but in all those elements of greatness that command respect among the nations of the earth, she can afford to be patient, and magnanimous, and A THANKSGIVING DISCOURSE. 443 painstaking, without fearing that the reins of justice will slip from her grasp. Our civil war has exhibited another marvel to the old dynasties of kingly rule. With them mighty armies are at the very foundation of government, and. the military service is a life-profession. The soldier and the citizen form distinct classes — often a deep and broad gulf separating between them. Not so with us. One of the grandest spectacles of the war is the ready return, at its close, of the great army of freedom to the peaceful pursuits of civil life. Within the brief period of a few months nearly one million of men have laid aside the insignia of war, resumed the ordinary duties of life, and are now proud to be known simply as American citizens. Such a spectacle has been exhibited in no other nation on the face of the earth. While, then, it may make us justly proud of those institutions that have brought forth such results, it should also inspire us with profound gratitude to Him whose providence has so signally watched over and guarded the desti nies of the Republic. 5. But, above all, let us rejoice and praise God to-day that, through the years of war and desolation, the Church of Christ has preserved her vitality, and, instead of being demoralized and weakened, as we all apprehended, she has multiplied her agencies, augmented her resources, and enlarged her work. Thanks be to God! Never before did so wide a field, or one so rich in promise, spread out before her, and never before did she exhibit the spirit of aggressiveness and the liberality to meet all the 444 SERMONS. demands of the work that she exhibits now. Had we come out of this war with our Churches enfeebled, demoralized, and wasted, there would have been cause of alarm. We might have apprehended that the foundations of moral virtue in the State had become undermined, and that the ultimate ruin of the nation was inevitable. But how gloriously has Christianity shone forth in all the conflict, not only in the lofty patriotism that sent the Christian warrior to the field, but also in that milder form in which, as an angel of mercy, she sought to and succeeded in mit igating the horrors of war, and mingling into the elements of ruin and death the counteracting influ ences of faith, and love, and hope. Had we come out of the conflict with our Churches demoralized and ruined, we might after all have doubted whether our victories were not dearly bought. But, thanks be to God, though he has led us through seas of blood, he has preserved alike the integrity of the Church and the Republic! Providence has, indeed, marked our every stage of progress, as recognizable in those defeats that schooled the conscience and heart of the loyal peo ple, and brought them at last into recognition of the great principles of human brotherhood that were essential to our success, as in those victories that sealed the death of rebellion. Providence, indeed, crops out in the little as well as the grand events of the war. And now may we sing, as did Israel upon the banks of deliverance, " Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power; thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed to pieces the enemy." A THANKSGIVING DISCOURSE. 445 Then, too, while from one summit-level we look back upon the past, and count all the steps of the way in which the Lord our God has led us, we may also behold the glorious future with the foul blot of slavery removed, its poison no longer cursing our civilization and corrupting our politics ; the under mining heresy of State rights uncovered and forever rebuked; our National elements of strength consoli dated and demonstrated; labor, industry dignified and ennobled; human rights held sacred in all men, and freedom guaranteed to the meanest and poorest upon the soil, whether black or white; with thought free, religion untrammeled, and education universal; with a country unparalleled for its extent, the fertil ity of its soil, the variety of its climate and produc tions, the extent and richness of its mineral resour ces, its facilities for inland navigation, and its broad invitation to the oppressed of all lands to come and share with us this glorious boon of bounteous Provi dence. Who can estimate what shall be the future of our National heritage? Imagination fails to con ceive; language is inadequate to describe the possi bilities of the future of our great Republic. Let us, then, offer thanksgiving for such an in estimable boon. Let us pray that it may be per petuated, only growing more illustrious in all the true elements of National greatness; bestowing richer blessings upon its ever-teeming millions of loyal and loving subjects, and towering up among the nations of the earth as the beacon-light of liberty and truth to all men. 446 SERMONS. XVIII. THE ABLE MINISTER OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. AN ANNIVERSARY DISCOURSE, DELIVERED BEFORE THE METHODIST GENERAL BIBLICAL INSTITUTE, NOV. 7, 1849. "Who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament." 2 Corinthians iii, 6. AT your request, I stand before you this evening. I recognize in your body a company of young men who are soon to enter upon the work of the Christian ministry. Whatever concerns ministerial character and usefulness concerns you ; and what ever can enlarge your views of the magnitude, the responsibilities, and the requirements of the sacred office can not be devoid of interest and profit to you. Allow me, then, to talk with you upon subjects in teresting and important both to you and me. Were I to while away this hour in attempts at wire-draw ing and hair-splitting in theologie speculation, or in endeavoring to sound the depths of some logical gulf, I might possibly give you a good idea of my acuteness as a metaphysician, and of my power of critical delineation. My thoughts might be honored as being profound and original, but my conscience THE ABLE MINISTER. 447 would tell me that I had set before you a poor ex ample, and that, instead of employing what is, per haps, one of the most responsible hours of my life, in giving you a just view of your great work, and of thfe character to which you should aspire, I had seduced you into a love of speculative disquisition, which would chill your souls like an iceberg, and render your ministry as dry and as barren as the wastes of Sahara. I know not that I can occupy your time more to your personal edification than by attempting the development of the character of an "able minister," as presented by one well qualified to make the esti mate and to give the representation. I would invite your attention, then, to the Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, third chapter, and sixth verse: " Who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testame7it." I hope it may not seem amiss to you that I have entered upon a theme so vast in its importance, so comprehensive in its range of topics, and so moment ous in its relations to the general results of God's truth in the world. I speak not, brethren, as one who has attained. I place before myself, no less than before you, the high standard to which the Gospel minister should constantly aspire. And should any of you become impressed with higher views of your calling, and nerved with firmer resolve, by the grace of God, to excel in ministerial character and work, I shall not have spoken nor you have heard in vain. The " sufficiency " of the Christian minister is always " of God." The apostle Paul — had it been 448 SERMONS. convenient to boast — might have pointed to his natural endowments, to his educational acquirements, to his divine and commanding eloquence, and to the " living epistles " of his ministry. But he hesitates not to acknowledge — we are not sufficient of our selves, but our sufficiency is of God. Our text, then, is no expression of vain boasting on the part of the apostle. He is not laying claim, either for himself or for his brethren, to any superiority of talents, of learning, or of signal ability. It is a confession of inability, of insufficiency for the work. It is a dis tinct avowal that, considering the great difficulty and high responsibility of the work of the ministry, no order of talents and no order of requirements, with out the grace of God, could render a man sufficient for it. But still he does claim that God had sup plied his lack, and had made him fit or suitable for the work. In developing our subject we purpose, first, to point out some of the essential elements in the character of an able minister of the New Testament ; and, secondly, to lead you forward to the inquiry, how this character may be attained. I. By "essential elements," we mean those traits of character which are indispensable in forming an able minister. These traits, however, we warn you, may not always be the most showy and popular. A man without them, or at least destitute of some of them, may be not only popular, but, under certain circumstances, eminently successful. He must, how ever, necessarily fail when tried by those ordeals which are the true tests of ministerial character, just THE ABLE MINISTER. 449 as the base metal, notwithstanding its luster and faultless stand, will discover its alloy when subjected to its proper test. 1. The first essential element we shall mention is, that he must be a man of God. He must be a re7tewed man — an experimental Christian. The apostle affirms that his ministry did not consist in mere verbal criticisms, to develop the literal meaning of the text, but that it possessed spirituality — life. He was a minister, not of the " letter " only, but of the " Spirit." I can scarcely conceive of a greater absurdity than that of employ ing unrenewed men in the ministry of a spiritual Gospel. I would as soon employ a blind man to describe the varied blending of light and shade in a painting of high artistical skill, or the deaf man to explain the various combinations of sound in music. How can he explain the nature of that which he has no power to comprehend? or enforce the spiritual requisitions of religion when its vital energy has never been realized in his own soul? In fine, how can he unfold the beauties of experimental godliness when his own eyes have never yet been opened to behold the interior glories of the great temple of spiritual life? A man may have clear perceptions of intellectual truth, a sound, discriminating judg ment, but how can he comprehend the spirituality of the Gospel unless his own heart has been imbued with its living power? The voice of God, the whole history of the Church, and the very nature of the Gospel, all require that he who teaches must first be taught. 38 45Q SERMONS. Agai7i, he must be a man of deep a7id consiste7it piety. No shallow experience in Christianity will suffice the minister of Jesus Christ. He must have drank deeply from that fountain whose living waters he administers to others. It is not enough that he be eloquent in speech, amiable in temper, courteous and affable in manners. All these qualities he needs ; but more than these, he needs the adornment of deep piety and of a pure life. He must be a man of faith and prayer. Christ must be the model of his character and the pattern of his life. From the unfailing well of salvation he must draw those living waters that impart moral health and purity, and life to those who wait upon his ministry. Any thing short of this would diffuse through the Church of God spiritual barrenness and death. The ministry itself would soon become a moral blight and curse to the world. Want of spirituality on the part of the ministry would beget want of spirituality in the Church ; and soon might it be said to such a Church and such a ministry, as our Savior said to the Jews, " It is written, my house shall be called the house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves." Neither talents nor learning, neither lofty eloquence nor commanding diction, can supersede the necessity of practical godliness in a preacher of righteousness. Though we speak with the tongues of men and of angels, though we have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, without practical godliness all our eloquence will be but as a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. He must be called by God to the ministerial work. THE ABLE MINISTER. 45 I " No man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron." By being called of God, we mean that he must be inwardly moved by the Holy Ghost to take upon himself the office and work of the • Christian ministry. Thousands who have talents, and who are not wanting in piety and devotion to the cause of God, have never been called to the work of the ministry. Providence has opened to them other spheres of labor and usefulness. Oth ers with smaller talents are thrust out into the work of the ministry, and made heralds of salvation — show ing that the work is of God, and the instrumentality must be of his own choosing. He that enters this work from any other motive — be it honor, or popu larity, or a livelihood — than a solemn conviction that he is called of God, is guilty of desecrating the most sacred office and profaning the altar of God. Like Nadab and Abihu, he offers "strange fire before the Lord." "You had better be the offscouring of all flesh, than preach to gain the applause of your fellow- worms. You had better beg your bread than enter the ministry as a trade to live by. However those may live who act from no higher principle, it will be dreadful dying for them, and more dreadful appear ing before their judge." Rather say with the apostle, " For though I preach the Gospel, I have nothing to glory of : for necessity is laid upon me ; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the Gospel !" He must have surre7idered himself wito the wo7'k. A practical example is given to the Christian minis ter in the determination of the early apostles — "we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the 452 SERMONS. ministry of the word." His should be no half-hearted devotion. With the apostle Paul, he should be able to say, " I am. ready not to be bound only, but also to die for the name of the Lord Jesus." And do difficulties rise in his way ; are sacrifices to be made, dangers to be braved, perils to be encountered, priva tions to be endured, and deaths to be suffered, he should be ready to exclaim, " None of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the Gospel of the grace of God." " 'T is not a work of small import The pastor's care demands, But what might fill an angel's heart, And filled a Savior's hands." Minister of God, keep thee to thy work ! Do the busy babbling tongues of applause attempt to seduce thee from thy course ? Let thine ear be deaf to their voice. Heed not the glittering gold. Listen not to the siren song of ease. Falter not, though crowns should glitter in thy view to tempt thee. Thou art thy God's and heaven's ! Thou laborest for higher praise than mortal tongues can sound. The gold of the celestial city is the treasure thou aimest at ; thine ease, the angels' song ; thy crown, the gemmed tro phy of redeemed souls ! Thou art a co-worker with angels and with God ! Earth has no higher honor ; heaven no richer reward ! 2. A second element in the character of an able minister is, that he should be a man of sound sense. " For God hath not given unto us the spirit of fear, THE ABLE MINISTER. 453 but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." This is an endowment which is claimed for the Christian minister by the great apostle. A man may possess unquestionable piety, great devotion to the cause of God — nay, in addition to these, he may pos sess high literary attainments, and yet he may be so wanting in that "sound mind" of the apostle, as completely to destroy his influence, and render him inefficient in the ministry. A ma7i of sound mind will take just views of thi7igs. He will comprehend the nature and duties of his office. Sound sense will characterize his min istry. Some seem to imagine, that to possess the great elements of ministerial character, it is only necessary to have a warm heart, a clear voice, and a ready tongue. No matter how recreant to a sound orthodoxy, how wanting in reason, how uncouth in manner, or how unwarrantable the license with which sacred things are handled, that "sound mind" en joined by the apostle, leading a man to- take just views of things, will be a corrective of all these de fects of ministerial character. The man who pos sesses it, will not be wasting his strength in the pursuit of wild vagaries of the imagination, but he will ground himself upon the vital and practical doc trines of the Gospel. Instead of searching for themes on which his fancy may soar, his wit sparkle, and his eloquence glow, he will go to the great central point of the Gospel system — the Cross of Christ. This mighty theme will pervade and inspire his whole ministry. From this elevated position he will look out over the whole range of Gospel truth, and thus 454 SERMONS. his character and his ministry will stand in beautiful harmony with the grand design of the sacred office. A man of sound mind will also understand human 7iature. There are thousands who are sound in the scholarship of books, but who seem to know nothing further. They are sound in theology — stating every principle with logical exactness, according to the most approved formula of the schools — beautiful the orists — wise in the letter of the truth ; but yet unable to turn their wisdom to any practical account. They have no access to the hearts of men ; their sympathy is all with abstractions— the dry formula of theologie indication ; nor have they any power to popularize or adapt to humanity the discussion of the most mo mentous truth. Hence, their learning, arguments, and eloquence fail to accomplish any good — nay, they have scarcely vitality enough to awaken a decent op position ; and they continue, by sufferance, to beat the air with increasing zeal and energy. To be successful, the Christian minister must be able to read 7ne7i as well as books. Having surveyed all the avenues to the human heart, he must be able to enter its citadel, and subjugate it to the dominion of truth ; without this knowledge of human nature, classical and scientific learning will be of little value. This was one of the conspicuous elements in the character of the great apostle to the Gentiles, beau tifully co-working with the high attainments of a noble intellect, and the sanctified graces of a pure spirit, in producing the great results of his ministry. A mart of sound 7ni7id will also be e7ni7iently prac tical. He will "plant" and "water," not speculate THE ABLE MINISTER. 455 and theorize. Like "a wise master-builder," he will build upon the foundation "that is laid, which is Je sus Christ." The mind of man is diseased — "the whole head is sick, and the whole heart is faint." The Christian minister is the appointed physician to convey heaven's medicine to the soul. Will you heal the sick by discoursing to him upon the theory of medicine ? Nay, " the balm of Gilead " must be ap plied to the sick and dying man. Would you save the drowning man by theorizing to him upon the properties of water, and explaining the doctrine of specific gravity? Nay, you must rush to the res cue — the life-boat must be run out upon the deep, and there must you struggle till you have plucked from the watery element the drowning man. " To save souls " is the great work of the Christian min ister ; and if he would not fight uncertainly, " as one that beateth the air," he must be practical. NotJmig ca7i serve as a substitute for this sound mi7id. No, not even the highest order of literary acquirements or of piety. You would not intrust to the man not possessed of this sound sense, even any worldly interest that required wisdom, experience, and intelligence ; why then will you commit to such a one a spiritual trust of such magnitude, and requir ing such wisdom, discretion, and faithfulness ? It is to me a painful reflection, that so many, even in the Church, seem to regard weakness of mind no serious obstacle to admission into the sacred office, provided the candidate possess a decent degree of piety and assurance to talk. Such a procedure rests upon a wholly false assumption with regard to the 456 SERMONS. qualifications essential for the work. It requires something more than feeble goodness. The cause will' often be judged by the advocate. A weak advocate' will make even a strong cause weak ; and thus relig ion is often dishonored, and shorn of its power and influence. 3. A third element is, that he should be a man of firmness and stability of character. He needs firmness a7id stability to give character a7id efficie7tcy to his labors. How aptly has an apostle described " unstable souls," as " clouds without water, carried about of winds !" They flit along the sky, but drop no refreshing showers upon the earth. A man who has no fixed and correct principles of action — " no opinion of his own," or, if he has, and yet lacks the decision of character to maintain it, but is con stantly bowing to this man's whim, and that man's conceit — such a man will make but a tortuous path. The ministry is the last business in which he should engage. Alas, for him ! he will soon find that influ ence, character, and usefulness are all gone. Though he may combine in his character every other natural and educational endowment, his energies will be par alyzed, and it may be said of him, as of the first-born of Jacob — " unstable as water, thou shalt not excel." He needs firmness and stability, that he 7nay 7tot be borne dow7i by the opposition of the world. " Marvel not," says our Savior to his disciples, " if the world hate you." Human nature is the same in its oppo sition to Christ that it ever has been. It is the business of the man of God to rebuke the world's wickedness, to expose its depravity, to dissect the THE ABLE MINISTER. 457 moral man, and lay open the mass of rottenness and death — to tear away the whited exterior of the sepulcher, that within it may be cleansed and purified. Imagine not that this can be done — faithfully, thor oughly done — and the world make no opposition and feel no resentment. The preacher may indeed be permitted to discourse, in general terms, upon the sins and follies of men, and the multitude not be offended ; but when he charges home upon them their specific, indulged, cherished sins ; when' he takes the vail from their eyes, and, with the stern fidelity of Nathan to David, exclaims, "thou art the man !" " marvel not " if they exclaim, as Ahab said of Micaiah, " I hate him, for he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil." The faithful minister can not shrink from his responsibility; he is shut up to the declaration of God's truth. What though he have to complain with the prophet — "Judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the streets, and equity can not enter ; and he that departeth from evil maketh him self a prey." All this he may feel ; but still is he to heed the command of God — " Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgressions, and the house of Jacob their sins." This is a work for which the Christian min ister must have nerve and courage. He must feel, as did Jeremiah, " His word was in my heart, as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and could not stay." While the counsels of the wicked prevail — nerved with holy zeal and with a divine courage — he will not forget his 39 458 SERMONS. responsibility to a power higher than that of man. The language of his heart will be — - " Shall I to soothe the unholy throng, Soften thy truth, or smooth my tongue ? Awed by a mortal's frown, shall I Conceal the Word of God, Most High ?" No, what though thou fallest a martyr to thy work ; thou fallest as did thy Lord. And from the noisome cell, the gibbet's torture, or the burning stake, shall thy -spirit soar away, and amid angel welcomes seize the everlasting crown. Agai7i, he 7nust be a 7nan of firmness and decision, that he may resist the encroachments of error. When error and delusion, like a mighty flood, are sweeping over the land, the minister of God must stand like a bulwark to resist the onset. He is the sentinel of heaven ; and for every spy that steals into the camp of Israel, through his unwatchfulness, he must give account. The bewildered and excited multitude may denounce him ; even his own familiar friends, his brethren in the Church, may lift up the heel against him ; wealth, influence, power, may all be enlisted on the side of error. How noble the position of him who then stands firm for his " God and the right !" How worthy the example of a Lot, preserving his integrity amid the pollutions of Sodom ! How affect ing the picture of an Elijah, maintaining his integrity when all Israel had been led astray, the altars of God digged down, and his prophets slain ! When the infa mous king Uzziah " went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar," thus invading the priestly office, and desecrating the sanctuary of God, THE ABLE MINISTER. 459 the high-priest withstood even the king, and com manded him to "go out of the sanctuary," and even " thrust him out thence." Such is the incorruptible purity, the inflexible integrity, and the unbending firmness that shed luster upon the sacred office and character. Never were these qualities more 7ieeded than at the present day. The powers of darkness seem making their final onset against the kingdom of heaven. From the deepest hell of the human passions are raked up burning embers to kindle the fires of strange and wild fanaticism. Heaven and earth are ransacked, and the arsenals of human learning are exhausted, to prop up the tottering fabric of infi delity. Heaven-daring impiety — hoary with age, and bold in crime — has transcended all its former limits. Every unguarded gate is entered, every unguarded fortress surprised. Who, then, shall withstand the wild rush of these tumultuous waters ? How shall these deep-seated evils be removed — these mighty foes be slain — so that the kingdom of Christ may spread its dominion over the whole earth, unless ministers of the Gospel — Heaven's appointed instru- " mentality for the work — possess a firmness and stability that knows no yielding amid the warring elements that rage around them ? 4. A fourth essential element in the character of an able minister is, that he should possess a critical and extensive acquaintance with the Word of God. "Every scribe," said our Savior to his disciples, "which is instructed into the kingdom of heaven, is like unto a man that is an householder, which 460 SERMONS. bringeth forth out of his treasures things new and old." " Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." Throughout the Bible, there is a mutual relation and dependence of parts, so that often one part can not be fully comprehended without being studied in connection with the whole. A neglect of this striking and important fact has been productive of the most pernicious consequences. It is thus that error has so often nestled under the very wings of the divine sanctuary, and heresy sought to ingraft itself upon the oracles of God. An extensive and critical acquaintance with the Word of God may also, by implication, embrace a varied knowledge of language, literature, and science. This knowledge, though not absolutely indispensable, can not but be of great service in expounding the sacred Scriptures. The same remark will, in a spe cial manner, apply to the literature of the Bible, em bracing the history, manners, and customs, symbolical language, and rhetorical figures of Oriental nations. But the Bible itself, above all other books, should be the companion of the Christian minister. With its facts and principles should his mind be richly stored, its sacred images should kindle the fires of his genius, and at its altar should be warmed and nurtured the congenial sympathies of his soul. " The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," is the weapon with which he must be armed. Like Apollos, he must be " mighty in the Scriptures." No shallow draughts can suffice the minister of Jesus Christ. He must be able to draw out the deep things of THE ABLE MINISTER. 46 1 God, to exhibit the great " mystery of godliness ;" then will the weapons of his warfare be "mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds." . Nor is this so easy of attainment as some seem to imagine. The Bible is not like other books ; they are the offspring of finite and limited intelligence, and are therefore subject to human comprehension in all their parts and adaptations. Their depths may be sounded, their boundaries defined. The mind may comprehend all that they contain, and even go be yond them in the comprehension of its knowledge. Not so with the Bible. You may study it, sound its known depths, admire its beauties, be impressed with its grandeur. Go over it again ; new depths will be discovered, beauties more lovely will entrance your soul, and sublimities of more solemn and impressive grandeur will impress you with reverence and awe. The more you know of the Bible, the more will you be made to realize the depths of its "wisdom and knowledge" that are yet unsounded and unknown. Said Sir Isaac Newton — who looked abroad on the vast expanse of creation, brought new laws and new principles to light, and immeasurably enlarged the boundaries of human intelligence in the natural world — "To myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the sea-shore, now and then find ing a smoother pebble, or a prettier shell than ordi nary, while the great ocean of truth lay undiscovered before me." So will the profoundest intellect bow before the majesty and glory of the Divine Word. It bears the seal and impress of divinity ; compre hending all that is past, it carries the thoughts 462 SERMONS. onward to all that is future ; given to "mortals, it awakens the admiration, and challenges the intelli gence of the archangel and the seraphim. Kindled like a beacon-light upon the shore of time, it throws its rays out over the ocean of eternity. 5. A fifth element in the character of an able minister of the New Testament is, that he must be able to expound God's Word with clearness, force, and effect. The exposition of God's Word and the enforce ment of divine truth are the legitimate work of the Christian minister. A man may be an able legislator, or a successful counselor, though his enunciation be poor, and his delivery be wanting in force. But the Christian minister must not only have clear views of divine truth, but be able to communicate them with a clearness and a dignity becoming subjects so pro found and so awful. No mere flourish of language, no rude jokes, no mean panderings to the vulgar " catch-words " of the day, become the delivery of a message so high, or the functions of an office so noble. " 'T is pitiful To court a grin, when you should woo a soul; To break a jest, when pity should inspire Pathetic exhortation ; and to address The skittish fancy with facetious tales, When sent with God's commission to the heart !" What would be thought of the Chief Justice of the nation should he employ swelling bombast, airy verbosity, or vulgar witticisms in grave decisions on questions of constitutional law ? It would be con temptible — insufferable ; wholly unworthy the office, THE ABLE MINISTER. 463 the subject, and the occasion. What then shall we say of the pursuance of a like course on the part of Heaven's embassador, while pronouncing the solemn decisions of eternal justice? How high, how God like, we would exclaim, the theme ! How unworthy, how immeasurably unworthy, the delivery ! The im portance of his theme, the dignity of his high com mission — nay, the very honor of the Master that hath called him, demand of him the exercise of high and holy gifts. Against the employment of any thing besides this, every just sentiment of our moral nature revolts, and cries out in indignation — " What ! will a man play tricks — will he indulge A silly, fond conceit of his fine form, And just proportion, and fashionable mien, And pretty face, in presence of his God ? Or will he seek to dazzle me with tropes, As with the diamond on his lily hand, And play his brilliant parts before my eyes, When I am hungry for the bread of life ? He mocks his Maker, prostitutes and shames His sacred office, and, instead of truth, Displaying his own beauty, starves his flock !" While, on the one hand, we warn you against evils so inconsistent with the dignity and moral purity of the pulpit, if not with even sound and con sistent personal piety ; let us, on the other, also warn you against a disquisitive, abstract style, that will shut you out from the sympathies of the great mass of your hearers. The Christian minister is not called to speculate about abstract principles in the refinements of metaphysical philosophy,. nor yet to dogmatize upon morals. He is to preach " Christ 464 SERMONS. crucified." He is to take Christ and present him to the hearts of the people, as well as to their under standings. No ornament, no trappings, no gaudy dress become a work so simple, and yet so sublime. It is this preaching Christ plainly, affectionately, and earnestly, that will best commend both the preacher and his subject to the people. This is a trait in which Massillon greatly excelled. It is said that after the delivery of one of his sermons, the audi ence were so impressed that "nobody stopped to criticise it. Each auditor returned in a pensive si lence, with a thoughtful air, downcast eyes, and com posed countenance, carrying away the arrow which the Christian orator had fastened in his breast." And even the French monarch, Louis XIV, paid him the distinguished compliment of acknowledging that, while other fine orators who preached in his chapel made him pleased with them, the sermons of Massil lon made him displeased with himself. On one occa sion, under the powerful strokes of his eloquence, the whole assembly, by an involuntary motion, started upon their feet, with exclamations of astonishment and wonder. Such is the earnestness, zeal, and power with which the Gospel of Christ should be preached. Do you exclaim, "Who is sufficient for these things ?" Hear the language of the apostle, "Thanks be to God, which causeth us always to tri umph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every place." Though you may not be eloquent in speech, nor graceful in deliv ery, yet. you may preach Christ " in demonstration of the Spirit, and with power," and then will it be THE ABLE MINISTER. 465 "the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." 6. A sixth element in the character of an able minister, and the last we shall mention, is, that he should possess a full conviction of the truth and liv ing efficacy of that Gospel which he preaches. He is called to defend and propagate, not a mere hypothesis, not a mere speculative notion, but abso lute truth — truth that has the sanction and authority of eternal wisdom — truth whose living power has been attested by millions in all ages — truth that is the light of the world, to guide mortals up to heaven. This truth must have laid its foundations deep in the con victions of his own understanding. The Gospel, to him who ministers at its holy altar, must not be a mere matter of speculation, a creature of the imag ination, a baseless sentimentahsm ; it must be a liv ing principle in the soul. Its vital energy must be diffused through the whole moral and intellectual frame, claiming the full assent of the reason, swaying all the passions of the heart, impregnating and puri fying all the moral emotions, so that he may be able to say, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the Word of life," we preach unto you. Nothing short of this conviction will suffice the Christian minister. The graces of elocution, the flowers of rhetoric, the refined subtilties of logic, will never supply the wants of a famishing soul. Frothy declamation must give place to living facts ; the cold abstraction of a mere speculative faith must give place 466 SERMONS. to the hallowed sympathy of the Gospel, gushing up from the deep fountains of the heart. How deep and ardent was the conviction that glowed in the breast of the apostle, bursting forth in the eloquent, Godlike aspiration, " I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, that I have great heaviness and con tinual sorrow of heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ, for my brethren, my kins men, according to the flesh." Such are some of the sublime, heaven-begotten emotions, that will thrill the soul of the Christian minister. This conviction will arm him with boldness. It will enable him to say — "we are embassadors of God" — we come commissioned by Heaven — "we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants, for Jesus' sake." " I had a vision," said the venerable Chrysostom ; " I thought I saw the communion rails crowded with angels, listen ing to the sermon ; when a man speaks as if in the sight of God, with an open heaven, with Christ and angels before him, he catches the true prophetic fire ; he preaches a present salvation from a present Savior ; the spirit of glory and grace descends, and the flame communicates to his auditory, and accompanies them to their homes." This conviction is the moving principle that has led to the unparalleled labors, the noble sacrifices, and the martyr sufferings of the servants of Christ, in every age of the world. Do persecuting rulers " command them straitly not to speak in his name ?" Regardless of them "that can only kill the body," THE ABLE MINISTER. 467 they say, " We ought to obey God rather than men." Does the Holy Spirit witness that bonds and afflic tions await them ? Hear them exclaim with united voice, " None of these things move me, neither count I my life "dear." There is no land where monuments of Christian devotion, suffering, sacrifice, and love do not exist. They belong to every age and every clime ; bright spots on a sin-polluted world, unseen by men but known to God. This spirit of holy confidence and self-sacrifice was eminently a characteristic of the early Methodist preachers. They went out " without scrip or purse ;" they heeded no danger, and shrunk from no labor ; they forded streams, crossed mountains, traversed wildernesses — every-where preaching the Word of life, and striving "to spread Scriptural holiness over these lands." Nobly have they done their work! All succeeding ages will bear witness unto them ! The results of their labors, how mighty ! Their re ward, how glorious ! . . . My brethren, " the fathers, where are they ?" One by one they have ceased from their labors, and gone to their reward. The first generation of Methodist preachers has already ascended ; we stand on the line that separates them from their successors — the past from the future. Like Elisha, we have seen them ascend in the chariot of Elijah. The cloud of heaven comes down between us, and they are hid from our view. Won dering and admiring, we exclaim, " My father, my fa ther ! the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof." Let us, too, catch their falling mantles, that the smitten waters of Jordan may divide before us, as 468 SERMONS. we lead on the sacramental host of God's elect to victory and glory. II. Having thus endeavored to point out some of the characteristics of an able minister of the New Testament, we proceed now, briefly, to inquire how this character may be attained. Having pointed out the goal, it becomes us to inquire how we may run the race. Having learned to "covet earnestly the best gifts," we desire to know how they may be attained. i. "In the first place, let your minds be impressed with the dignity and importance of your office, and re solve upon a high standard of ministerial attainments. So high a responsibility and so wide a range of contemplation comes within the sphere of no other vocation. It has relation to earth and heaven, to time and eternity. He who has not been impressed, overwhelmed with the importance and elevation of his sacred work, yet lacks the first element of all fit ness and adaptation to it. It was under the pressure of this responsibility that an apostle, who had gone up into the third heavens, and been baptized with the inspiration of God, cried out, "Who is sufficient for these things ?" Labor is the price of excellence. It is so intel lectually, morally, and spiritually. While God gives us the power and the means, and blesses the whole, he still requires us to "labor," to "strive" for the at tainment of all high and holy gifts. The loveliest, purest, and holiest character ever attained by man, was not formed without watchfulness and toil. And, if holiness of heart, which lies so much within the THE ABLE MINISTER. 469 province of the Holy Spirit, be conditioned upon labor, how much more the attainment of a well-stored and cultivated mind ! Determined effort must be coupled with high resolve. He that would excel as a minister of the New Testament, preach Christ with power and success, and make a lasting impression upon the moral features of the age, must be a ma7t of labor. A man may rant, or talk prettily, and tell affecting tales, and make beautiful quotations, while yet he lacks entirely the elements of true greatness. The great reformers, those bright luminaries of the Church, were men of labor. Had not Luther been a man of labor, God had raised up some other and more worthy instrument to herald the Reformation. But amid his travels, conflicts, and public labors, he found time to write an astonishing amount, besides translating the whole Bible. Wesley and Adam Clarke have few, if any, equals in the laborious in dustry that characterized a7id crowned their lives. "To view theirvrorks, one would suppose their lives were spent in the study ; to consider their labors and travels, he would suppose their lives spent upon the highway and in the pulpit ; to think of their piety, he would suppose their lives had been spent in the closet." He who would excel as a minister, must be judi cious in the allotment, and diligent in the improve ment of his time. It was a maxim of the Latins, that " no one reaches the summit of honor, unless he prudently use his time." This prudent use of time, rather than any extraordinary natural power, has been the- secret of success, in a vast majority of instances, 47° ¦ SERMONS. among those who have been distinguished for extra ordinary parts, and have accomplished extraordinary results. When Luther was asked how he had found time to translate the Bible, he said, " I did a little every clay." The well-known habits of Wesley, with reference to the use of his time, are a striking char acteristic of the man, and give us the key to his success. They tell us how, in addition to all his other labors, he wrote and prepared for the press more books than most men find time to read. I re member reading somewhere the description of a pic ture, representing a man at the base of a mountain, with his coat and hat upon the ground, delving into its sides with a pickax — above him the motto, " little by little." Let this be the motto of him who would excel as a minister of Christ. Slowly, and amid many discouragements, may the fabric rise ; but its fair proportions will at length shine forth in the " workman that needeth not to be ashamed." O how many precious moments are wasted in " softness and needless self-indulgence," in frivolous pursuits, in idle conversation, in vague and useless reverie, which, if rightly improved, might tell upon the world's destiny and the Redeemer's glory ! How many a noble and godlike statue might have adorned the gallery of the Church's honored ones, had not industry been want ing to perfect its proportions and polish its surface ! Distant as may seem the summit here unvailed to your view, it is not inaccessible. He need never de spair who possesses the energy of character to work out his own destiny. No extraneous circumstances can keep such a man down ; he will surmount them THE ABLE MINISTER. 471 all. He may be a child of penury, cradled upon the barren rock, but, by the sole force of his own solitary genius, he will at length compel the homage of the Church and the world. The hero toils for fame, the scholar labors to inscribe his name on the tablet of immortality. How much nobler thy aim, O thou man of God ! — thou art living for eternity, toiling for an immortal crown ! Angels and men are witnesses how thou workest for thy God. Arise, gird thyself for the contest ! . 2. In the second place, endeavor to store your mind especially with that kind of knowledge which will be brought into requisition in the exercise of the ministerial office. No one man can learn every thing. If he attempt it' he will not only fail, but will neglect to learn many things which would be of special importance to him. Hence, a selection must be made, the area of research must be defined, and its boundaries fixed. The legit imate field of study that belongs to the ministerial profession is wide and far-reaching. It comprises almost every art and every science. Natural and re vealed religion, what a comprehensive study ! It car ries us back to the antiquity of our race ; it requires of us a knowledge of ancient arts, manners, customs, history, and religion ; it encircles ancient geography, poetry, and language ; the fields of intellectual and moral science ; the wonders of the sky, as developed in the science of astronomy — of the earth, as devel oped in natural philosophy and its kindred sciences — of our own frames and natures, as made known in physiology — all lie within its scope. In a word, the 472 SERMONS. science of theology takes in the whole man, social, moral, and immortal ; it comprehends his whole his tory, past and future ; it raises our conceptions to the throne of the Eternal, and bids us study his attributes and laws. Such are some of the sublime themes that may enlarge the heart and exalt the powers of the Christian minister. But above all, the great work of redemption — whose mysteries " angels have desired to look into," and which shall constitute " the science and the song of eternity" — will ever challenge his powers to sound its depths and to contemplate its glories. With these gigantic truths let him grapple ; they will enlarge the compass of his thought and deepen the piety of his heart. 3. In the third place, he who feels himself called by God to enter upon the work of the ministry, should avail himself of whatever helps his circumstances will admit to qualify himself for the duties of the sacred office. This is neither the time nor the place to enter into a defense of theological education, nor yet of theological seminaries. It is, indeed, passing strange, that we will educate for almost every other depart ment of life, and in almost every other science ; while men are expected, almost by intuition, or by inspira tion, to become qualified for the ministerial office. To expect results, without the use of means, is impi ous presumption. We, as a Church, have been in fault on the subject of the theological seminaries, and it is time that we made the confession of that fault. Not that we erred in not having them — to us they were unnecessary — but the error was in condemning n THE ABLE MINISTER. 473 them in too broad and general terms. Others needed them then ; we need them now. And as true as the want exists, so true is it that there will be a supply. It is idle, then, to argue the question ; necessity is stronger than argument ; facts are more potent than reasoning. The time has come when we must have, not an educated ministry, but educated ministers ; and their number must and will increase, according: to the condition and wants of the Church. Method ism will not be true to itself if this shall not be the case. A rapidly progressive improvement is going on in the intelligence and social elevation of our membership. The ministry must keep pace with the Church, or it will be a clog and a hinderance. The fact that many of our most learned, talented, and influential men have risen to their high standing without these extraneous helps, furnishes no argu ment against our position. They are the exception, and not the rule. And it is a most significant fact, that no class of ministers take a deeper interest, or feel a more hallowed sympathy, in the cause of min isterial education, than this very class. To educate our people generally, and not our ministry especially, would be gross absurdity. A more effective way of driving from our communion the intelligent, espe cially of our young people, could not be devised. Such a policy would be suicidal to the Church ; it would rob Methodism of the harvest for which she has so long and so faithfully toiled. Croakers may become shrill from hoarseness, and anti-progressive men may stand in the way to resist the tide of im provement, but the torrent will sweep around them 4o 474 SERMONS. and over them ; and, when they are buried and lost beneath its waters, the Church will still be moving onward with gigantic strides to fulfill her glorious destiny. 4. Again, he that would attain the character of an " able minister of the New Testament " should neg lect no preparation that can give efficacy and success to his pulpit ministrations. Without entering into the question, how far a man should commit his thoughts to paper, or into a discussion of the advantages of extemporaneous dis course, we will only say, in general terms, that every subject should be thoroughly studied. It should be comprehended in all its relations and bearings. All its details should be familiar and fresh in the mind. It will then matter very little whether a man have a manuscript before him. He will need no crutch to lean upon. His sentences may sometimes lack pol ish, but they will have power. His thoughts will gush up from the soul with all the warmth and vigor of recent life. A habit of thorough preparation for the pulpit will react upon the whole intellectual char acter. It will beget habits of close thought and re flection ; it will give keenness and intensity to the desire of knowledge, and insensibly lead the man out into the investigation of whatever useful knowledge is connected with the subject of his ministry. The graces of a chaste elocution and delivery are also worthy of attention. It is often said, and that too with some degree of justness, " manner is as important as matter." Some of the most ad mired and useful Christian orators have been greatly THE ABLE MINISTER. 475 indebted to the charms and power of their delivery. The impassioned utterance of a Whitefield rendered matter that was absolutely puerile when afterward published, overwhelming to his auditories. Summer- field, too — who has not heard of the transcendent power of his eloquence! — and yet, what judicious friend has not regretted that his fair fame should be darkened by the publication of discourses which were destined only to disappoint the expectations which the living fire and genius of his oratory had enkin dled ? The study of elocution occupied the mind of Demosthenes for years ; and even Mr. Wesley has prescribed rules for the modulation of the voice, and for producing an effective delivery. Another important feature of a just preparation for the pulpit is, that the mind should not only be rendered familiar with all the details, but the heart also warmed with the subject of the discourse. No one should undertake a subject in the sacred desk which he does not deem of sufficient importance to awaken the sympathies of his heart ; and, when the heart is once touched, the intellect will be quickened, and all its energies inspired. 5. Again, he that would be an able minister must continually bear in remembrance his dependence upon God, and ever seek communion with him, and help from him by meditation and prayer. On one occasion, we are told that our Savior "went out into a mountain, and continued all night in prayer to God." Do you inquire " What weighty objects of his mission then weighed upon the Son of God?" In the acts of the next morning you have 476 SERMONS. the answer. "And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples, and of them he chose twelve," whom he ordained and sent forth into the work of the ministry. The Christian ministry, my brethren, was instituted under the hallowed influence of prayer : prayer is the very element in which it was conse crated ; and prayer is the element in which it should live, and move, and speak. It is prayer that gives soul and energy, life and power, to the preached Word. The most eminent and successful ministers have uni formly been men of faith and prayer. Such were Fletcher and Payson, Baxter and Brainerd. Without this, God rarely gives success in the conversion of souls. We have seen some men, of but ordinary tal ents, and limited research, and poor elocution, who, nevertheless, were eminently successful in winning souls to Christ. What, then, was the secret of their success ? It is found in the simple fact, that they were men of faith and prayer. Should those of a superior order of gift and attainment possess equal faith and prayer, how glorious might be the result ! Important and indispensable as are study and intel lectual attainments, and effective as are the graces of oratory, prayer is still more indispensable to the minister of Jesus Christ ; and he who does not ha bitually and constantly avail himself of this source of spiritual and mental illumination, has widely mis taken the pillar of his strength. The intellect, as well as the soul, must be baptized and quickened with the celestial fire. 6. Finally, let him who would become an able minister of the New Testament, keep steadily in THE ABLE MINISTER. 477 view the great objects and ends of the Christian ministry. How unworthy the motive of him who engages in the solemn duties of his vocation, with no higher aim than the applause of men, or the gain of the world ! who blows the Gospel trump at the call of Mammon, and pays homage at the shrine of popular ity ! The self-sacrificing, godlike spirit of the Chris tian minister he can never know ; the holy sympathy and the heart-felt interest in the flock of Christ, that is felt by the .true shepherd, he can never feel ; for he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep. The object that should arm the Christian minister with vigor in his holy calling should be the salvation of souls and the glory of his God. The hope that should animate him in the midst of toil, privation, and death, should be that of shining in the kingdom of heaven, with the brightness of the firmament, for ever and ever. We can not better conclude our remarks than by applying to ourselves the beautiful criticism made by Longinus upon the speaking of Cicero and Demos thenes. He says, the people would go from one of Cicero's orations, exclaiming, " What a beautiful speaker ! what a rich, fine voice ! what an eloquent man Cicero is !" They talked of Cicero ; but when they left Demosthenes, they said, "Let us fight Philip !" Losing sight of the speaker, they were all absorbed in the subject ; they thought not of De mosthenes, but of their country. So, my brethren, let us endeavor to send away from our ministrations the Christian, with his mouth full of the praises — 478 SERMONS. not of " our preacher," but of God ; and the sinner — not descanting upon the beautiful figures, and well- turned periods of the discourse, but inquiring, " What shall I do to be saved ?" So shall we be blessed in our work ; and when called to leave the watch-towers of our spiritual Jerusalem, through the vast serene, like the deep melody of an angel song, Heaven's ap proving voice shall be heard — " Servant of God, well done ! Thy glorious warfare 's past ; The battle 's fought, the race is run, And thou art crowned at last." THE END.