Page images
PDF
EPUB

IV. Two characters of t "having salvation," or, as Messiah, "He is a righte 1. "He is righteous." in righteousness. It is his obedience unto de end of sin, and brought ness. As his people his hand, so likewis command, and such "ask any thing in pleading their caus he is their righte because his inter teous stipulatio' filled, he does "I will, that "be with me

[merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][graphic][subsumed][subsumed]

a great muit

people, and "west, fr. the Heather by evil w:

dertaken t near when

of him, broken shai

the

nd in truth, a saved people. His rtion as it is realized in their hearts hes them likewise to love one anoexercise benevolence to all men. understand the true nature of his gdom, which consisteth not in exections and forms, "but in righteousce, and joy in the Holy Ghost;"* and his great design to form to himself a amongst the nations of the earth, who ne body, enlivened by one and the same ey acquire a large and comprehensive They rise above the influence of names, and divisions; are freed from the narrow nd interests of self; and "put on, as the of God, bowels of mercies, kindness, humimeekness, long-suffering, forbearance, and Iveness," in conformity to the pattern and of their great Exemplar. Thus he speaks e to them, and hushes all their angry, tumuls passions into a calm.

uch is the spirit and tendency of the Gospel. us try ourselves by this touchstone, measure selves by this rule, and weigh ourselves in ese balances of the sanctuary. They that are nrist's have crucified the flesh, have put off ne old man, and are renewed in the spirit of their minds. If he be indeed your King, your consciences will bear you witness that you revere, imitate, and obey him. If he be your Saviour, you certainly must be sensible yourself, and others deserve, that you are different from what

must

re.

of you should be convinced, that hive been a Christian only in name and

[blocks in formation]

in form, but destitute of that which constitutes the life and power of real godliness, this will be a good beginning. For though it be high time that you should in good earnest attend to these things, blessed be God, it is not yet too late. He is a righteous and a gracious Saviour; seek him as such, and he will speak peace to you also. His sure promise is recorded for your encouragement, "Him that cometh unto me I will in nowise cast "out.'

*

SERMON XII.

EFFECTS OF MESSIAH'S APPEARANCE.

ISAIAH, XXXV. 5, 6.

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped: Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing. How beautiful and magnificent is the imagery, by which the prophet, in this chapter, represents the effects of MESSIAH'S appearance! The scene, proposed to our view, is a barren and desolate wilderness. But when he, who in the beginning said, "Let there be light, and there was light," condescends to visit this wilderness, the face of nature is suddenly changed by his presence. Fountains and streams of water burst forth in the burning desert, the soil becomes fruitful, clothed with verdure, and adorned with flowers. The towering cedars, which were the glory of Lebanon, and the richest pastures, which were the excellency of John, vi. 37.

Carmel, present themselves to the eye, where a little before, all was uncomfortable and dreary. How is it, that so few of those who value themselves upon their taste, and who profess to be admirers of pastoral poetry in particular, are struck with the elegance and beauty of this description? Alas, we can only ascribe their indifference to the depravity of the human heart. They would, surely, have admired this picture, could they have met with it in any of their favourite authors; but descriptive paintings in this style, so exquisitely combining grandeur with simplicity, are only to be found in the Bible, a book which their unhappy prejudices and passions too often lead them to depreciate and neglect. But they who have a Scriptural and spiritual taste, not only admire this passage as a description of a pleasing change in outward nature, but consider it as a just and expressive representation of a more important, a moral change, of which they have themselves been, in a measure, the happy subjects. The barren wilderness reminds them of the state of mankind by the fall, and of their own hearts, before MESSIAH, the Sun of Righteousness, arose upon them with healing, with light, power, and comfort in his beams. In that memorable hour, old things passed away, and all things became new. The Lord, by shining into their hearts, and showing them his glory in the person of Christ, has created for them a new heaven and a new earth. The works of God around them in his creation and providence assume a different appearance. Before, they lived without him in the world; but now, they see his hand wherever they look, they hear his voice in every event; for now the principles of his grace are planted in their souls, and they are no longer barren nor unfruitful, but are "filled with the

"fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus "Christ to his praise."*

The verses which I have read exhibit the effects of MESSIAH's power and goodness, by another image equally pleasing. Not only the wilderness, but the inhabitants of the wilderness, partake of the virtue of the great Redeemer. He finds them in circumstances of distress, which he only can relieve. But when he comes, the blind receive their sight, the deaf hear, the lame walk, and the dumb have voices given them to resound his praise. These mighty works, in their literal sense, marked his character, and confirmed his claims, when he was upon earth; and to these he himself appealed, in proof of his being the promised Saviour whom the prophets had foretold, and that no other was to be expected.†

But the words have a still more sublime and important sense. As the great Physician, he cured all manner of bodily diseases and infirmities. But this was not the principal design for which he came into the world. The maladies to which sin has subjected the body, are but emblems of the more dreadful evils which it has brought upon the soul. He came to open the eyes of the mind; to make the obstinate will attentive and obedient to the voice of God; to invigorate our benumbed and paralytic faculties, that we may be active and cheerful in his service; and to open our lips, that our mouths may show forth his praise. I have a good hope that I may warrantably say, "This day is this Scripture ful"filled in your ears." Some of you who were once darkness, are now light in the Lord.

These different effects are produced by one simple, but powerful operation. While Lazarus

*Phil. i. 11.

+ Matt. xi. 3-6.

I Luke, iv. 21.

« PreviousContinue »