1

SERMON XV.

FLEE BAD COMPANY.

ACTS ii. 40.

"And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation."

first sermon

THESE words are found in the very that was preached in the Christian Church; for until the Holy Spirit had come down from heaven, that Church had not begun. And they are the summary of a considerable discourse, in which the preacher testified and exhorted his hearers to repent, and be baptized, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, that they might receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. They are words, therefore, of deep significance, and require of us to ascertain their true meaning, and call upon us to exercise what is contained in that meaning.

Observe, first of all, that they were spoken to men who were at least nominally in the

Church of God, for to the Jews they were spoken. And they called upon them to separate themselves from the evil-doers among them. This is the very first thing to be done by such as turn unto God with all their heart and mind. And, therefore, long ago, the prophet Isaiah had said, "Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing: go ye out of the midst of her: be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord '." And not long after, St. Paul says to the Corinthians in nearly the same words, "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you "." And in the Revelation is made the same awful warning, "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."

2

It is, therefore, advice necessary at all times in the Church of God, his people always need its warning. There never has been a day, and there never will be a day to the end of the world, without its untoward generation, from which the true children of God must come out, or they will be partakers of their sins, and receivers of their plagues. For the words of the text, put to their fulness of construction, are these, Come out from this untoward generation, and so be saved from the wrath and judg

1 Isaiah lii. 11.

2 2 Cor. vi. 17.

L

ment of God, which is coming upon it. If Noah had not separated himself from the untoward generation of his day, he must have perished with it in the flood. And if these three thousand had not obeyed the voice of Peter, and come out from among the untoward generation of the unbelieving Jews, they must have perished together with them in that dreadful destruction which Almighty God shortly after brought upon them. We see, therefore, how enforced by most awful example this warning has come down to us; and what a large demand it makes upon our attention.

instead of that in The slimy serpent

The character of the generation of every time is untoward. What is the meaning of this word? Untoward is said of any thing which will not go toward, that is, straight onwards, but will go now on this side, now on that, making a crooked path. The beast that rebels against the hand of its driver, pushes now in this direction, now in that, which he is required to go. crawls along, never in one line, but from this side to that side. The man who knows not his road, takes a path now to the right hand, now to the left, and goes not straight forward. The drunkard reels and staggers from side to side, instead of going forward. All these are examples of untowardness. And now is not sin untoward? The path of the commandments of God leads straight forward; but their transgressor

is not found in that path. He has the wilfulness and rebelliousness of the beast that will not be driven. He is a true and close follower of the crooked ways of the old serpent, and walks in his slime of sin. He is ignorant and blind with vanity, and chooses his own crooked road. He is drunk with pride and evil desires, and cannot keep the straight paths of godliness. Such is the character of an untoward generation. In it are found the drunkard, the unchaste, the swearer, the Sabbath-breaker, the thief, the covenant-breaker, the forswearer ; and not only these, but all who hold not the truth in righteousness, all who abide in any practice which (they know) is not according to the will of God; all who continue in the neglect of any known duty, all who give God but lipservice instead of life-service, all the careless, all the indifferent, all the selfish.

How many are left in a generation when all these are taken away? Are they not so few that its colour and character are taken from such as these? and, therefore, is not every generation untoward? But on all these the wrath of God comes, as upon children of disobedience. It is a fearful thing to bear in mind, that they who would not hearken to Peter, had consented to the death of Christ; had cried out, "Crucify him, crucify him. We will not have this man, but Barabbas the robber." And even in this world they were consumed by the fire of God's

wrath. It is even so with every untoward generation since. They who have not accepted Christ, as saved, by his death, from their sins; and are not, by a struggle against the power of sin within and without, dying the death unto sin, can they be said to be out of the company of those that consented unto the death of Christ? They who go in the pride of unsubdued flesh, give it a loose rein, and so far from crucifying it, by mortifying it in its corrupt appetites, indulge it in any evil desire that Satan may prompt, can they be said to be clear of the company of those who cried out, "Crucify him, crucify him?" They who give themselves up to the powers of this world, and follow their bidding, and thus loathe the taste of the powers of the world to come, can they be said not to be of those who cried out, "Not this man?”

The more we consider within ourselves, the larger and larger does this sad company appear, and the deep and unsparing searcher of his heart will have frequent alarms, lest he himself be found in the circle thus widened; and if a man be not in it, yet it is around him on all sides, and he must be watchful that he fall not into it. He must bear continually in mind the exhortation of St. Peter, "Save yourself from this untoward generation." And he must be strong and of good courage, to keep himself utterly clear of such company. But here it is that so many fail. They see the sad effects