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and in various ways relieved. Bre- | of families have gone up, as an in

thren, there are doubtless annual subscribers to the charity here; they will learn with joy that their confidence has not been misplaced-that their alms have not been bestowed in vain. Let us have a hope, that the prayers

cense to Heaven, for the blessing which their friends have bestowed upon them. Brethren, as God has given you, so give in return to your poor brother; and may GOD repay into your bosoms ten thousand fold!

A Sermon,

DELIVERED BY THE REV. T. BINNEY,

AT THE WEIGH HOUSE, EASTCHEAP, SUNDAY AFTERNOON, FEBRUARY 24, 1833.

John, xiv. 6.- "No man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

THE effect of familiarity with any thing, is to render us almost insensible to the properties of grandeur and magnificence which it may possess. In a thoughtful mind, almost every thing in nature gives rise to thoughts and feelings which fill them with admiration: and there are in nature such glorious and splendid objects that we are sometimes really astonished to think with what perfect insensibility we gaze upon them, and how little they have affected us: there are some people who have never had an idea in their lives of the wonder and glory which there are about the works of GOD, and have never felt any admiration on their account.

The same thing may be observed operating upon us in reading the Scriptures. The effect of familiarity with the words of Scripture often renders us insensible to the strange, wonderful, and extraordinary statements upon which our eye rests. Now I consider the passage I have just read to be one in point. You have heard it read a hundred times; you heard me

read it just now; and perhaps it has affected you very little. And yet if you dwell upon it, you will find it is one of the most extraordinary announcements you ever heard or can conceive. Just imagine that we who are in this assembly should be silently sitting for a few moments, having our minds brought into a state of seriousness and attention; and that in the midst of that silence, a man who appeared like a common mechanic, should rise up in the aisle in the midst of us, and looking round should assert this for himself, and assert it for truth; supposing he should tell it us with the voice of authority, and speak of it as a matter of positive truth, which none of you might refuse to receive-"No man cometh unto the Father but by me-you must come through me:" what a feeling would be produced! How we should gaze upon the man! How we should ask him, who art thou? How we should say, what an amazing claim is this? What, you to stand between Deity and the whole species of mankind?

What an amazing position! what a remarkable elevation to occupy-that all that ever lived-that all that do live now, whatever be their circumstances and their character, whatever be their wisdom and their capacity, must come to God by you! And then we say, why should there be obstacles at all? Why should we have to come to God through you, or through any one? Why should we not go directly into the presence of the Father, as you are at liberty, we suppose, to go. Now just imagine, that any man should rise up in this assembly, and utter this as an universal truth-as a truth to be received by all mankind, and what would be our feelings? We should be utterly overwhelmed and astonished. And yet there was a time when these words were spoken on this earth, by one who appeared in the garb of a mechanic-by one who appeared in the likeness of sinful flesh, in a world apostate and degraded, with respect to others-who uttered these words, and uttered them with the authority of GOD. And you and I are to receive them, and they lie at the basis of all our great views of GOD. They are to be received, as entering into the very essence of our happiness and our safety. No man cometh unto the Father but by me." These words were uttered by Jesus of Nazareth, and they are true, and they are worthy of all acceptation; and they must be received and acted upon by you and by me, if we would enjoy the happiness that comes from GOD.

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the passage proceeds upon that. GoD -the father of all spirits, of all minds, and all beings, to whom he has given an intelligent nature, on whom he has conferred moral capacities. From that very circumstance it is their first and positive obligation

it is their duty, and will constitute their happiness to come to him; that is, to have constant intercourse with him, by acts of worship, and acts of devotion, and by prayer; and to have constant intercourse with him by acts of affectionate confidence, which they are to exercise in the principles of his government; and by acts of affectionate confidence in him as to every thing which happens to them; by delighting in their capacity to imitate and resemble him, and by partaking something of that resemblance, and by enjoying something of his joy. In any world, where an intelligent being exists under this obligation-if that intelligent being has not fallen, he delights in it-it is his happiness and joy thus to come to GOD, and to have intercourse with him, and to receive the light and life, and influence of his joy. There is something solemn and impressive about it. To come into contact with the eternal and infinite mind! We feel strongly when we have a prospect of coming into contact with some eminent person, and being introduced into the presence of a man distinguished by capacity or elevated by rank : the idea of coming into the presence of a man whose reputation has been established for high genius, or extensive learning, there are few men who do not anticipate an introduction like that without some feelings of anxiety and curiosity; there are few men, if they have not been accustomed to it, who, in the anticipation of coming into the presence of a monarch, do not dwell upon it, and feel some degree of anxiety respecting it, and respecting

the particular circumstances with a being should stand up and say to which it will be attended. Now just them -"None of you can come to conceive of any human mind, em- GOD but by me:" and yet there is bodying within itself all the capa- that singularity about our condition. city, and all the knowledge, and all And now, why is this? I am perthe genius that ever has distinguished suaded I need not enter at large into any human being, or all human an explanation of it. You are aware beings put together; conceive of one of the difference between natural, and human mind embodying all the capa- what might be termed supernatural cities which ever adorned human religion. Worlds that have never nature (and there might be such a fallen-places where the beings have mind) and how should we feel in the kept their first estate, are in a state of anticipation of an introduction to it? what I would simply term, natural Take some of the elevated spirits piety, natural religion. With respect before the throne of GoD, and think to us who have fallen, we who are of coming into the presence of them, sinners, we who have broken God's and what would our feelings even law, we who stand exposed to the then be? But all these things fall short condemnation which results from that of the idea of coming into the presence infraction, we (who are thus injured of GOD himself. And then to have a in our moral character, and sustain a proper idea of our accountableness, different relation to GOD, if we come and our responsibility, and our being to him we must come in a particular constantly under his eye-there will manner. And the singularity of this be, by these, something immensely arises from our position of guilt. solemn added to our idea of coming GOD is to be viewed by us not merely to him and yet it is our primary duty as GOD, but as a God whom we have to delight in this, and to do it. offended-a GOD whom we have disobeyed-a GOD whose law we have broken. And, therefore, there is some process required; there is something necessary to mark our circumstances, both upon God's part and upon ours And the peculiarity of the thing as revealed in scripture is,

I observe, in the second place, that there is a very remarkable singularity about the way in which man is to come to GOD. This does not hold with respect to those beings of whom we have spoken, or with respect to any beings that we know of. "No man cometh unto the Father but by me." Any-that we are to come to GOD, through thing like that was never uttered in heaven. Gabriel never stood up in heaven and said, "No angel can come unto God but by me." It would excite surprise and astonishment if any such sentiment were to be uttered in heaven. It never was uttered, and never will be uttered, in any world in which the beings continue to be just what they were when they proceeded from the hands of GOD (and I doubt not there are such worlds); it never was uttered there; they delight in constant intercourse with GOD and in coming to him and they never heard that

a mediator. The Son of God is represented in scripture, especially in those beautiful chapters which I read to you (the first and second of Hebrews), he is represented as taking on him our nature-as a divine person appearing in the likeness of flesh, to be the mediator between an offended GOD, and offending man. He is represented as presenting himself a sacrifice for human guilt, as virtually removing the sins of mankind, and as having them imputed to him, and, as it were, making satisfaction for them presenting something like a com

pensation to the majesty of God. And on that, as a reason, God can proceed in offering mercy to depraved human beings, and admitting them into his presence. They are, therefore, to come to God as an offended being, who has set forth a certain arrangement, by which they are to come, and plead with him, and to plead the work and sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, and to ask the forgiveness of sin, in the consideration of that reason which is presented in the Holy Scriptures. Now, all just views of religion, brethren, rest upon this foundation. All deism, and the variety of forms of heresy in the Christian church, arise from an imperfect and inadequate impression of this very truth. The deist rejects revelation altogether, and he rejects a mediator altogether, because he looks abroad on the face of the world, and he thinks that nothing more is necessary to come to GOD, but some prayer, and some confession, and some expression of penitence, and that that is enough: he thinks nothing of his danger before GOD. Then there are forms of inaccurate ideas with respect to religion and what the Bible teaches. Some men reject the idea of the divinity and sacrifice of Christ, and think it is enough to come to God, as professing to receive the truth of Christ-to receive him as a prophet, and they have no idea of his priestly sacrifice. I think that is equally as bad as deism itself. It is not coming to God by Him who is appointed for the very purpose of coming to GOD. I think these views result from very inadequate impressions of the holiness of GOD-from very inadequate ideas of his majesty-from very inadequate ideas of the nature of sin-and from very inadequate ideas of that kind of medium which is représented in the New Testament as the way into the presence of the holiest of all.

I observe, in the third place, that in coming to God it becomes us to have respect to the Mediator, and to come on the specific business for which he is appointed. Only imagine, any of you that are parents, that one of your children, or several of them, were under your displeasure - that they had deeply and grievously offended you. Or imagine the case of a monarch, against whom a certain portion of his subjects had rebelled, and who are, therefore, under his displeasurehis virtuous and his just displeasure. Imagine, in either of these cases, that some overture was made, by the sovereign or by the parent, to the rebellious children, or to the rebellious subjects-that there was some kind and gracious and affectionate declaration of readiness to forgive on certain conditions and in a certain way. Just imagine that the children heard all this-that they had a communication sent to them in which it was distinctly laid down and ascertained: or imagine that these rebellious subjects heard all this that they had some proclamation put into their hands from which they might learn all this. And just imagine that either the child or the subject should dare to come into the presence of the parent or of the sovereign, unconcerned about the matter wherein they had offended. Imagine that the child should talk of any thing and every thing, and give utterance to any feeling or every feeling except the business on which he came there: imagine that your child without adverting to the circumstances of his actual offence, and of your displeasure, and to the plan which you had designed by which reconciliation might be effected between you-that your child came and praised the properties of your character, and rejoiced in something like the genuine affections of your nature, and the principles of your behaviour, and praising your

as rebellious subjects; and that you are to plead a certain reason by which you may come in. You treat all these with contempt, and you have just general, vague notions of the divine mercy, and of the duty of prayer; but have no scriptural view of the ne

specific business for which that mediator is appointed. "No man cometh unto the Father but by me." Any of you who have any of these inadequate impressions, and are dreaming away life in these vague generalities; or insulting that Mediator, who has told you of the necessity of your regarding him in your approach to GoD -are losing your souls under the form, but with the fancied idea of your possessing the substance.

heart, or your hands, or your head. Or conceive of the subjects entering the presence chamber of their monarch, and that without adverting to the proclamation that had been made as to the way in which their rebellion might be passed over, and how they might rejoice in the pardon of their prince-cessity of your coming to GOD on the they should come and unite together in some manifestation of their feelings with regard to his government and his reign, and the happiness of his subjects; never once referring to the business on which they were supposed to come, or to the feeling that they were rebellious subjects, or adverting at all to the way in which they ought to appear before him, by which they might receive his pardon, and be again ranked among the King's servants who had kept their obedience. Would there not be something monstrous in all this? And do you not but perceive that the child would in- | crease his offence, and that the subject would add something like ingratitude and contempt to their rebellion? | And do you not think that their punishment would be increased by their thus slighting the proclamation that had been made to them?

Now familiar as these illustrations are, I think every one of you must see the force and the appropriateness of them. and I mean to say that there are many present who just treat GOD in this way. You pretend to go to him, but have not your minds affected by the business on which you ought to go there, and appear before him : you have not the just idea impressed on your mind of your actual exposure to God's displeasure, and that GOD has given you a reason which you may plead, and that you are to come on that business, and urge it with faith and confidence for the reception of that mercy which you require; that you are to come into his presence who is the moral Governor of the universe,

I observe, in the fourth place, that in coming in the way that has been pointed out we have every encouragement; and we shall find it to be sufficient. We shall have a welcome, and shall surely receive whatever is requisite to ensure for us happiness and satisfaction. "No man cometh unto the Father but by me." But every one that cometh by me may; "and whoever cometh by me I will in no wise cast out." These are relative expressions, and the one truth should ever be connected with the other. But when Christ says, that "No man cometh to the Father but by me," it involves all those solemn and important ideas to which I have referred; and it ought to impress our minds very deeply with the importance and necessity of having regard to the Mediator in his priesthood, and in his sacrifice, as the only way by which we can come to the Father. But we should connect with that, the other idea. If we do thus come to God on the business for which the Mediator is appointed-if we come to God by the way, the new and living way consecrated to us by the blood of Jesus

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