have attained a just sense of the vanity of the world, and the importance of eternity. They are inftructed to be contented and useful in their ftations, to difcharge their duties in relative life with propriety, and to meer death with comfort. In all thefe particulars, many who have dazzling talents, and are celebrated for abilities and endowments, are miferably at a lofs. True believers are conformed to the fpirit and temper of their Saviour, and therefore are different and diftinguished from the world around them. And they have, at least, the beginnings of true peace and folid happiness, in communion with him whom they ferve. 2. The caufe. They fhine wholly by his light. If their own words may be taken, the proof of this is eafy. They are free to confess that they are only wife by his wisdom, ftrong by his power working in them, and that without him they have not fufficiency to think a good thought. Experience has taught them that they cannot ftand unless he upholds them, nor watch unless he watcheth with them, nor be fafe or happy a fingle day, without fresh communications from him. But this their experience and acknowledgment is the exprefs and current doctrine of fcripture. There is a real, though myftical, union between Chrift and his people. He is the vinet, they the branches: he is their head, they the members of his body. They dwell in him by faith, he dwells in them by his Spirit. He is their root and their life; all their springs are: in him, and it is out of his fulness that they receive ‡. Therefore the apoftle fays, I live, yet not I, but Chrift liveth in me; I can do all things through Chrift Arengthening me §. And our Lord himself, who ccmforted Paul with that promife, My grace is fufficient for thee, apprifed all his followers of their entire de. pendence upon him, by saying, Without me ye can I. 5. d 2 Cor. iii f $ 2. Cor. xii. 9. † John xv. i. John i, 16. Gal. ii. 20 do nothing. The language of the Old Teftament is to the fame purport, They looked unto him, and were enlightened t. In the Lord Jehovah I have righteoufnefs and ftrength. He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might he increafeth firength ||Thus things are conftituted and conducted, that ne Afh fhould glory in his prefence, but that he who glorieth may glory in the Lord §. III. They who wilfully refuse and turn from this light, do thereby involve themselves in double darknefs, and become more infatuated and wicked than thofe to whom the light has not been propofed. Their evils, likewife, are more aggravated than they would have been if the light had not vifited them. Thus our Lord, MESSIAH, fpeaks of the Jews, If I had not come and fpoken unto them, they had not had fin; but now they have no cloke for their fin **. And again, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which fee not might fee, and that they which fee might be made blind th. He came to make the ignorant wife unto falvation; but they who, from a proud conceit of their own wisdom and fufficiency, difdain his inftruction, being left to themselves, give abundant evidence, that the light they boaft of is but grofs and palpable darkness. The groffeft errors, the greateft obduracy of heart, the molt extreme profaneness of fpirit, and. the most abominable wickedness in practice, may be expected, and will certainly be found where the gofpel is defpifed. It is evident, that the morality which is fo highly admired by the Christian world, and fet in oppofition to the gospel of Chrift, is much leaner and more fcanty than the morality of the heathens. Ifpeak of the idea only; for neither have the heathens of old, nor of the prefent day, acted up to their own rules. But I do not hesitate to affirm, that none of our mo dern John xv. 5. Pfal. xxxiv. 5. ** John xv. 22. + If. xlv. 24. If. xl. 29. dern moralists who have disowned the gospel revela tion, have given us a system of morality equal to that of Tully the Pagan. Many of the heathens acknowledged the defirablenefs and neceffity of revelation; though infidels, born in a Chriftian land, think it a high mark of their wisdom to defpife it; and avowed Atheists, that is, men who deny either the being or the providence of God, or the obligations mankind are under to obey him, are feldom to be met with but in countries where the Bible is known. heart must have obftinately and repeatedly refifted light and conviction, before it can ordinarily proceed to thefe dreadful lengths. But while the blind stumble in the noon of day, MESSIAH's people fhall walk in confidence and peace*, and fhine as lights in the midst of a crooked and perverfe generation f. The IV. The third verfe of this chapter foretells, and therefore secures, the converfion of the Gentiles or heathens. The times and the feasons are in the dif pofal of God, but the fcriptures must be fulfilled. Much was done in the firft age of Chriftianity. A fingle inftrument, the Apostle Paul, as he himself informs us, preached the faith, which he formerly laboured to destroy, from Jerufalem round about to Illyricur‡, and probably much farther afterwards. And the Lord, who appointed him to this fervice, accompanied his meage with his own power; fo that he had fignal fuccefs, in turning men from darkness to light, and from the worship of dumb idols, to ferve the living and true God; and in planting the gospel,. and gathering churches in every province. The gof pel found an early reception at Rome, which facili tated its spread into the different parts of the Roman empire. And we have reason to believe it was intro duced into our`island in a few years after our Lord's afcenfion. And though what was called the conver fion of heathen nations in fome following ages, went: E 6 little: Pfal. lxxxix. 35, † Phil. ii. 15 Romp xv. 199 little farther than to prevail on them to affume the name of Chriftians, and left them, confidered as nations, as destitute of the fpirit and bleffings of Chriftianity as it found them; yet I cannot doubt, that wherever the New Teftament, and the fufferings of MESSIAH, were known, fome individuals at least experienced a real and faving change. And we are warranted to hope for ftill greater things; for a time when the grofs darknefs, which as yet covers a great part of the world, fhall be difpelled; and the Redeemer's kingdom, fpoken of by Daniel the prophet, as a fione cut out without hands, fhall become a great mountain, and fill the whole earth*. But this pleafing fubject will come more directly under our confideration hereafter. V. The call in my text may be taken in a general fenfe, like that of the apostle, Awake, thou that fleepeft, and arife from the dead, and Chrift fball give thee light. Natural light requires eyes to perceive it. It would be abfurd to point out the beauties of an extenfive profpect to a blind man. To him the face of nature prefents only a univerfal blank. But the light of the gofpel not only discovers the most important objects to those who can fee, but has a marvellous efficacy to open the eyes of the blind. It is. the appointed inftrument of Divine Power for this purpose. In vain would be the labour and expectation of the husbandman, if God did not afford the rain, and the fnow, to water the earth, and the enlivening influences of the fun, to draw forth the tender blade, and to ripen the corn. Equally unfuccefsful would the preaching of the gospel prove to finful men, though in itself it be eminently the truth and wisdom of God, exactly suited to their state, and of the highest importance to their welfare, if he had not promised that his word, where fimply and faithfully delivered in dependence upon his bleffing, fhall not * Dan. ii. 35. † Eph. v. 84, be be fpoken in vain, but fhall certainly accomplish the end for which he has fent it *. This promife, together with the experience of its truth in our own cafe, and our knowledge of its uniform effects in every age and country where the doctrine of the crofs has been preached, encourages minifters to persevere in publishing the glad tidings, in defiance of all the oppofition and disappointments we meet with. We lament, but cannot wonder, that the gospel is fo generally neglected. As a difpenfation of grace, it offends the pride of man; as a difpenfation of holiness, it contradicts his defires and paffions. His fpirit is degraded, his heart is pre-engaged, he loves the prefent world, and has no more taste or inclination for a life of communion with God here, and fuch a heaven as the scripture proposes hereafter, than the beasts of the field. But the Lord has faid, I will work, and who fall let it? When he is pleased to clothe the word preached with the influence of his Holy Spirit, and to apply it to the confcience, it is quick, powerful, penetrating, and irresistible as lightning; it conveys a voice, which the deaf, yea, the dead, must hear it forces a light upon the mind which cannot be evaded. Then things are feen as they are. The nature and desert of fin is apprehended, and then the gofpel is found to be the only balm for a diftreffed and wounded confcience. Therefore, having the Lord's command and promife, we are not to be discouraged by the careleffness or obftinacy of those who know not what they do. We are aware of the difficulty, yea, the impoffibility of fucceeding in our endeavour to fave the fouls of our hearers, if we had only to depend upon our own arguments or earnestnefs. We are not to reason, but to obey. Our business is to deliver our meffage, and in our happier moments to water it with our prayers and tears. When we have done this we can do no more. The event must be lefo • If.lv. 10, II, tlf. xliii. 13. |