in our system, or to the sun itself, his word would be instantaneously fulfilled. Nor is his humanity less awful on this occasion. He will say this, who has assumed our nature. He that made man will have made man will have none ! such an angry word as this? anguish in the thought!

no mercy then. He that was What! will the Lamb speak Depart from me! Oh what Now he says, Come unto me!

Hearken unto me, ye stout-hearted, that are far from righteousness; I will bring near my righteousness: it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry." Lord save us from the dreadful doom! Take away all iniquity from Gather not our souls with sinners!

us!

LIV.

THE BRUISED REED AND SMOKING FLAX.

MATT. xii. 20.

A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.

THIS passage is quoted from Isaiah xlii. 3. and applied by the Evangelist to our blessed Lord, to whom it undoubtedly belongs, and of whom it gives us a most true representation, calculated especially, to encourage the faith of weak believers. It contains,

FIRST, A metaphorical description of a distressed and gracious soul, represented by two comparisons.

First: A bruised reed.-A reed is a well known vegetable, remarkable for weakness, and shaken with every wind, and of little value. It is an image of weakness, frailty, worthlessness, helplessness, and distress.

They only can take the comfort of the Redeemer's allsufficiency and gentleness, who have been made sensible of their utter weakness, insufficiency, and unworthiness; who can no longer stand in their own strength, nor do without constant support and succour. Such is the case of the truly convinced soul; who knows his own weakness and insufficiency, not merely in a natural, but a moral sense; not only as a dying creature, but as deserving death.

Such may be trodden under foot of men, on account of their outward meanness. And so much the more

on account of their mental depression, and free acknowledgement of guilt. They may also be sorely crushed with a sense of their own unworthiness and vileness; their inability to stand in judgment; their insufficiency for every good work; and their unfitness to show forth his praise. They may be greatly bruised by temptations; and through fear of being rejected and cast off for ever.

Secondly: Smoking flax.-The allusion is probably to the wick of a candle dimly burning. This is an image of divine grace, either in its first beginning, or else when ́in a declining state.

Divine grace is often compared to light and fire; but here it is supposed to be concealed, or doubtful whether it will kindle into a flame or not. The flame of heavenly love

enkindled in the heart, is in itself agreeable, useful, and spreading. But it is here supposed to be, at first, very small and deficient in its degree; consisting of little light, knowledge, love, life, hope, fervor, and holiness. Ex

It

posed also to danger, and apparently easy to be quenched : yea, perhaps, it seems as if it would expire of itself. is attended with that which is disagreeable and offensive: a sense of guilt, and a conflict with depravity. So may the first effects of religion be unpleasant to the subjects of them; producing, in the new convert, sorrow, rather than sensible joy; complaint of ignorance, rather than positive light; fear, rather than lively, vigorous hope; a sense of hardness, rather than of softness. Its good effects may be much concealed from human view. Some secret groans and sighs are almost all it produces at first. A desire to listen to others, but afraid to speak to them. Many evils will be found opposing it, and combating with it. There is much that is really hateful and sinful in the same soul. And not much light, as yet, shining before men. are frequent changes and fluctuations as to hopes and fears, and indeed as to every duty and grace. The trembling flame seems often ready to vanish, and yet is strangely kept from going out.

There

SECONDLY: A negative declaration of the Redeemer's compassion and tenderness. "A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench."

More is intended here, than is expressed. It must break, if he will not strengthen it or be quenched, if he keep not the flame alive. But such whose case has been

described, shall find the Saviour very gentle and compassionate. When here below, he assumed no outward pomp and majesty, to terrify the poor and wretched from applying to him for relief from their miseries; no forbidding austerity, or dreadful rigor, made them shun his presence, or keep their distance from him. He seemed harsh to the Syro-phoenician woman; but it was only to evince the strength of her faith. He condescended to men of low degree; to blind beggars and to little children; and to teach such as had been the vilest characters. And he is still the same. Poor, despised outcasts; yea, the very chief of sinners, find him so. He binds up the broken-hearted, and They who see hell to be their due,

cheers the disconsolate.

are not the more likely to go thither on that account. He will not break the bruised reed; nor will he sink the convinced sinner into despair. But while he shows the exceeding sinfulness of sin, he gives assurance that his own blood cleanses from all sin. He has opened a fountain for sin and uncleanness.

He shows the sinner the in

sufficiency of his own righteousness; but then he brings near his perfect righteousness, and shows its sufficiency to justify the ungodly. He shows his case to be desperate in any

He

other hands, but insures a perfect cure in his own. convinces him that he has no other refuge but in sovereign mercy, and that no other is needed. feel his own weakness, and encourages him to depend on

his strength.

He makes him

He will not quench the smoking flax; nor will he slight the smallest beginnings of grace in the soul. Though it burns so dimly, or can scarcely be seen by others, yet he will not quench it, nor will he suffer it to be extinguished by others. He will shield the spark of love from all that would suppress it, and will fan it to a flame. He will cause it at

length to shine forth in beautiful lustre and strength, to the praise of him who first enkindled it.

THIRDLY: A positive assurance of his faithfulness and success. He will send judgment unto victory."

66

In

Isaiah xlii. 3. it is, "He will bring forth judgment unto truth," which is translated by Bishop Lowth, "He shall publish judgment so as to establish it perfectly." It may in

Iclude these ideas.

He shall render the acquittal of his people perfectly consistent with righteousness. So that neither shall their salvation, in the least, infringe upon the law and righteousness of God; nor shall the most righteous justice forbid the fulfilment of his amplest promises.

The Redeemer shall so thoroughly plead for his people, as to make the truth of their cause apparent, and get the victory over all their accusers and adversaries.

Though often

misrepresented and censured, charged with hypocrisy, with madness, with licentiousness, with turning the world upside down, with being enemies to morality, to civil government, and to mankind; yet he will clear their characters, prove their sincerity, their wisdom, their love to holiness, to peace, and to mankind. They studied to approve themselves to God, who searches the heart, and had "the testimony of a good conscience, that not in fleshly wisdom, but in simplicity and godly sincerity, they had their conversation in the world, as influenced by the grace of God." They were zealous for the practice of good works, though zealous against the doctrine of human merit. The love of Christ constrained them to depart from all iniquity, and inspired them with disinterested benevolence. As he will clear individuals; thus also the cause of evangelical truth shall at length mightily prevail over all its opposers.

May we admire the tenderness and grace of this blessed Saviour. And learn of him to be tender-hearted to distressed souls, and such as are newly awakened.

Let the feeble be encouraged to cry to him for strength. And let those that walk in darkness, look to him for light. He can dispel the smoke, and raise the spark to a sacred flame.

But let the self-righteous and self-sufficient expect to be broken. And let those who wish to hide themselves in darkness, expect to be detected. Let those who shine in their own eyes, expect their lamps to go out in obscure darkness.

LV.

JESUS AND JONAH COMPARED.

MATT. xii. 41.

Behold a greater than Jonah is here.

MATTHEW informs us, that certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees had been demanding a sign of our Lord, who replied, that no sign should be given but that of the prophet Jonah. Not only was our Lord's predicting his own death and resurrection, a sign of his being indeed a true prophet; but that resurrection, considered in all its circumstances, would be an evidence of his being the true Messiah, and of his having finished the great work of redemption, which he had undertaken to perform. But having thus had occasion to mention Jonah, he forewarned them, that the repentance of the men of Nineveh, at his preaching, would justify and aggravate the condemnation of the men of that generation, who enjoyed advantages far superior to theirs, as he himself was far superior to Jonah.

Knowing that whatsoever things are written in the scriptures, are written for our warning, and especially what they declare concerning the evil consequences of impenitence under the sound of the gospel, We will endeavor,

FIRST, To consider the contrast of the ministry of Jonah and of Jesus, with the different receptions they met with from their respective hearers.

I shall not now enlarge on the supreme diginity and true divinity of Jesus, on the one hand; nor on the remarkable defects of the prophet Jonah, on the other. Though Jonah was, in some respects, one of the most defective characters of all the Old-testament prophets; and Jesus, unspeakably superior to all who ever acted as the servants of God; I