in view of what thou hast done, ask what thou must do? I am glad to hear that question-it indicates returning reason. I will briefly answer it. And First, You must do something-you must act-you will never be saved without your own agency. When the jailer asked this question, did Paul and Silas say, " Do nothing-wait-wait God's time?" A time, by the way, which cannot be waited for, because it has come already. you. The uncertainty of life urges you. Thirdly, You cannot be saved by doing any thing which you may choose to do, aside from what God commands you to do. No amount of unauthorized effort will avail you any thing. Fourthly,-You may do many things which the word of God approves, and even enjoins, and yet never be saved; for no one of them may be that specific thing to which the promise of salvation is made. Fifthly, There is only one thing that you can do to secure your salvation. You will be disappointed if you expect to be saved by doing many things. One act, one single exercise, is the indispensible requisite to salvation. What is it? Sixthly,―That which you do in order to be saved, is not to make an atonement for sin, nor is it to acquire yourself a title to heaven: it is not any act whereby you may make yourself better, or recommend yourself to God. There is nothing expiatory, meritorious, or commendatory in what you are required to do. The object of the act is not to make atonement, but to receive an atonement already made. It is not to do something for yourself, but to avail yourself of what another has done for you. Seventhly,—It is no external act or movement that is required. It is an act of the soul, a single, confiding act of the soul, the object of the confidence being Christ Jesus. There are two things presupposed as necessary to this act; viz. a sense of your need of him, and an apprehension of his suitableness and sufficiency for you. These existing, you have nothing to do that you may be saved, but heartily to trust in him. "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Exercise a confiding faith in him, and all is done. Cease to do any thing for yourself, except cordially to trust Christ to do every thing for you. This is what you must do. Now do it. should. Christ is altogether worthy of your save, and he is willing. He offers himself to upon you. Receive him and you are saved. Do not be confounded by the very simplicity of the requirement. Do not say, "Can this be all?" I assure you it is all. And there is nothing to be done in preparation for doing this. If you know that you are a sinner, and believe that It is reasonable that you confidence. He is able to you-He presses himself Christ is a Savior, then as a sinner trust in that Savior. And you can do it now, as well as at any other time; yea, better. The duty will never be different from what it now is-never easier. Will you do it now? Now, while God waits to be gracious; and Jesus stands with arms extended, and with open heart to receive you; and the blessed Spirit striveth with you; now, when all things are ready, and all circumstances favor; now, in the strength of God, will you do it? What is your decision? It is known in heaven. It is recorded there. "My former hopes are fled, Ah, whither shall I fly? I hear the thunder roar; When I review my ways, I dread impending doom; But sure, a friendly whisper says, I see, or think I see, A glimm'ring from afar; A beam of day that shines for me, To save me from despair." NATIONAL PREACHER. No. 1. VOL. 8. NEW-YORK, JUNE, 1833. WHOLE No. 85. SERMON CXLV. BY REV. GEORGE B. MILLER, PROFESSOR IN THE LUTHERAN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY AT HARTWICK, NEW-YORK. THE CONVERSION OF ZACCHEUS. LUKE xix. 5.-Zaccheus, make haste and come down. THE publicans were persons concerned in collecting the tolls and customs, which the Roman government were used to let out to the highest bidder. And they sometimes gained wealth by those frauds and impositions for which their situation afforded so very favorable an opportunity. But a variety of causes concurred to bring the whole body of publicans into abhorrence and contempt with the Jews. For first, the Jews still considered themselves a free people, though in the time of our Savior they were under the power of the Romans, who with their usual policy allowed to them in a great measure the exercise of their own laws. This independent spirit made them regard imposts and taxes under every shape as the badge of slavery. What tended still more to aggravate the animosity against the publicans was their being themselves Jews. Of a stranger, a heathen, nothing better could be expected; but, for one of their brethren to take part with the enemies of God's people was an injury not to be endured. Hence you may form some idea of the nature and degree of that antipathy with which these men were regarded by the rest of the nation. Our blessed Lord drew upon himself much obloquy and resentment, by the condescending familiarity with which he conversed with a set of men so universally detested. This single trait in his character was enough, in the sight of bigoted Pharisees, to disparage every excellence that the strongest prejudice had to acknowledge in him. "Why eateth your master with publicans and sinners?" was the taunting reproach made to his disciples. If this man were a prophet, he would know that they were sinners; that is, abandoned outcasts, whose touch was polluting. These were the principles that governed the judgment of self-righteous Jews, and caused them to condemn the noble conduct of the Redeemer, who considered none too low, too wretched, VOL. VIII.-] TILDEN LIBRARY 1895 or too dissolute, to be beneath his regard or instruction. His efforts were directed to reclaim the most sinful: as he aptly expresses himself," I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." To the class of despised publicans belonged the person to whom Christ addressed the words of our text: "Zaccheus, make haste and come down." Of his previous character not much is said by the sacred writer; only from the account of his riches, and his own confession, it is evident that he was not behind his brethren in extortion and covetousness. We are told that "he was the chief among the publicans, and was rich"-one that speculated on a large scale; and who probably took large contracts, and let them out again to others. Had he dealt fairly and honestly in this matter there might have been no just cause for reproach. But there was too much ground for the dislike to which he and his fraternity were subject: though this does by no means excuse the virulent hatred of the Jews; much less does it justify the indiscriminate contempt with which they regarded a whole body of men, among whom, we may suppose, there must have been many honorable exceptions. It appears that, for some reason or other, the publican named in the text had a very strong desire to see Jesus. Under the influence of this feeling he had come out with the multitude that flocked to Christ, as he was about to enter Jericho. Owing to his small stature, he was unable to gratify his wishes, while the press was so great as to prevent his near approach. He therefore ran before, and climbed up a tree, standing near the road where Jesus was to pass. Was it the mere curiosity to see a celebrated prophet that induced him to take this pains? It may be. Then it was the happiest curiosity that ever possessed the breast of Zaccheus. But the consideration of all the circumstances connected with the history, leads one rather to suppose that it was something more than an idle curiosity. It is very probable, that the accounts which he had previously received of the miracles and doctrines of Christ, had excited in his mind a wish to be more fully acquainted with this great Teacher. The desire to be taught, and the earnest wish to forsake his sinful course and to become a follower of Christ, were beginning to spring up in the recesses of his soul; but he deemed himself unworthy of notice from this sacred personage. He wants to obtain a sight of one whom he revered and dreaded. He must first be satisfied whether he is indeed of that mild and gracious and condescending character generally ascribed to him. Behold him seated in a convenient place, where he hopes, unobserved, to examine the features of the Savior, concerning whom he has exalted ideas. Here he waits in breathless expectation the approach of Jesus; but judge what was his surprise, when he observed that the Savior cast his eye upon him. "How did he discover me?" Jesus speaks—“ "Zaccheus !" "What! does he call me by name? Whence does he know me? Wo is me! Now he will expose me before all this multitude for my crimes. What shall I do? where shall I hide myself? "Zaccheus, make haste and come down, for to-day I must abide at thy house." What language can describe the min gled sensations of astonishment and joy and gratitude, that seized the breast of Zaccheus, when he heard these gracious words. To be at once relieved from all his fears; so unexpectedly to have his utmost wish fulfilled; a wish that lay concealed in the bottom of his heart, to which he thought no human being was privy, which he durst scarce repeat in silence to himself. What a flood of light now poured upon his mental vision. "Sure, this is no ordinary man. This is more than a prophet. Truly he is the Son of God. Else how could he know, even better than myself, what was passing in my mind? But what benignity and grace beam from his countenance, and sound from his lips! How is it, that he overlooks the learned scribes, the self-righteous Pharisees, the great, and those in high esteem, these or similar reflections passed the mind of Zaccheus, you must not imagine that he waited to have all his doubts resolved. No sooner did the Savior accost him, "Zaccheus, make haste and come down," than he unhesitatingly obeyed. Gratitude and joy lent speed to his limbs. Amid the sneers of Pharisees and scribes, and the murmurs of the astonished multitude, he conducts the Savior to his house, and gives him a cordial and a thankful welcome. Happy day! delightful meeting! Not only were his fears removed, but he felt himself to be another man. Repentance sprang up in his heart; faith in the Savior was called forth; new and heavenly hope beamed into his happy soul. His attachment to money was gone. Another and a holier affection now filled his heart. Zaccheus the extortioner, Zaccheus the publican, is now the devoted disciple of a self-denying Master. the divine energy that accompanied those words-"Zaccheus, make haste and come down." Such the occasion, and such the delightful result of the Savior's gracious address. Such was Some profitable reflections very naturally arise from this portion of sacred history. First; Observe the sovereignty of God in dispensing particu lar favors as he sees fit. This our Lord plainly taught when he thus addressed the people of Nazareth, where he had been brought up. "I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; but unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow." Then he proceeds to mention the case of Naaman too, the Syrian leper, who was healed by Elisha. The passage that we have been considering is full to the same purpose. So that we may employ the Savior's language, and say, Many publicans were in Jericho, but with none of them did Jesus abide, save with Zaccheus. Was it that he was more worthy than the rest? No. But we go farther. It is certainly to be supposed, that there were in Jericho many who bore a much better character than Zaccheus ; who not only were free from the stigma attached to the office of a publican, but whose character was actually more correct. But it was not with one of this description, however esteemed of men, that Jesus chose to |