Page images
PDF
EPUB

and on the unjuft." Or to extend our benevolence from temporal to fpiritual concerns, we may imitate God in his goodness more effentially, by labouring to promote their peace with heaven, and to place them in a condition for acceptance and good will with God. This also we may do by several means; by interceffion to God in their behalf; by admonition, exhortation, and reproof; and above all by the filent yet moft perfuafive argument of a good example. This our Lord himself advises, as an effectual means of rendering glory to God; "Let your light fo fhine before men, that they may fee your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.'

ور

While thus we glorify God in the temper of our hearts and in the tenour of our lives, we shall bring our difpofitions in unison with thofe, who continually stand before the throne of God; we shall harmonize our affections to the melodies of the heavenly Sion, and shall prepare ourselves in fome degree to bear our part in the chorus of celeftial fong; when having made our peace with heaven, and obtained acceptance and good will with God, we shall find it not merely our delightful office, but our most honourable privilege, our fupreme beatitude, to fing glory to God in the highest.

Of

Of this bleffed exercise fome brief examples are given us by the beloved Difciple and Evangelift Saint John, who was admitted. even in the body to look into the heaven of heavens, to fee the glories, and to hear the melodies of that blifsful realm. All these no doubt are recorded for our edification in a state of discipline. May we therefore so meditate upon the fubjects they prefent, as to be qualified through the mercies and the grace of God to partake hereafter in thefe heavenly strains!

[ocr errors]

Hallelujah! for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth-The Kingdoms of this world are become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Chrift; and he shall reign for ever and ever ;King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.-Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty: Juft and true are thy ways, thou King of Saints.-Bleffing and honour and glory and power be unto him that fitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb for ever and ever s.

s Rev. xix. 6. xi. 15, xix. 16. xv. 3. v. 13,

SERMON VI.

MATTHEW iv. 23..

And Jefus went about all Galilee, teaching in their fynagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing all manner of fickness and all manner of difeafe among the people.

THE Apoftle in these words relates the tranfactions of Jefus Chrift at the beginning of his miniftry; all which displayed an active and unwearied zeal both for the fpiritual and the temporal welfare of men. And as he perfevered, while he abode on earth, in the practice of the fame benevolent operations, they form a compendious hiftory of his human life, and they prefent a general view of his miffion and character. At the fame time they delineate, what I propose for the fubject of our prefent meditation, the method and economy employed by the Author of our faith, in preaching the Gospel of his kingdom through the world.

[ocr errors]

The wisdom of God has adopted various

modes

modes of reprefenting his nature and of imparting his will to men. To the Heathens he was manifefted in the operations of his providence. In the beauty and order of the works of nature, in the grateful viciffitudes of the feafons, in the general and impartial diftribution of genial funs and fhowers, they might readily contemplate the great Founder and Upholder of the universe in all his attributes of power and wisdom and benevolence. From this conception of his nature they might reasonably infer, by what kind of fervice they might please him best, and render him their Friend. But this train of inference was very rarely drawn among the nations of the Heathens, except by a very few of fuperior penetration and reflexion: And even among these it seldom produced any folid influence on their moral practice; fince they continued to do what was right in their own eyes, and to confult their own pleasure rather than the will of God.

[ocr errors]

.

ཝཱ

Be

To the Children of Ifrael he was fhewn in a fuller and more confpicuous manner. fide an immediate communication under Mofes the Minister of the Legal Economy, he revealed himself to all the people by figns and by wonders beyond the ordinary course of nature. Having inflicted an exemplary vengeance

vengeance on their Egyptian tyrants, he wrought their deliverance by a mighty hand. He divided the red fea before them, and directed their march through the bottom of the deep. He went before them in the pillar of a cloud by day and of fire by night. Thus having prepared them by unquestionable tokens of his immediate prefence, and having ratified them by special testimonies for a chofen generation, a peculiar people, he gave them a Law in thunders and lightnings from Mount Sinai. This method of communicating his counfels was no doubt very powerful and impreffive. But then it was calculated not fo much to conciliate as to alarm. It compelled by fear rather than engaged by love. And highly as they were distinguished above all other people by this divine vifitation, they fhrunk with trembling from this awful fcene, as appears from their fupplication to Mofes," Speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let not God fpeak with us, left we die 2.

a

[ocr errors]

In the laft Revelation of himself by the Gofpél he has taken a method which is equally conciliating and impreffive. In this difpenfation of united grace and truth he appears in a

* Exod. xx. 19.

clearer

« PreviousContinue »