his own ftrength. Then the Spirit alone made interceffion; nature failed and grace was conqueror-When I am weak, then am I ftrong. He fays, Let me go, as God once faid to Mofes, Let me alone: thus does the Lord fometimes try our faith. This was the cafe of the woman of Canaan, when Jefus, at firft, answered her not, and afterwards faid, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and cast it to the dogs. But when the ftill worthipped, prayed, and waited, fhe obtained thefe words of approbation, O woman, great is thy faith! as well as the anfwer of her prayer. So the Angel faith, Let me go, the day breaketh-thy affairs want thee-thou must have reft; but Jacob foregoes all for the bleffing-reft, family, wearinefs, pain; and anfwers, I will not let thee go, unless thou bless me. So muft it be with us; none prevail, but thofe, who take the kingdom by violence. He conquers at laft. What is thy name? faith God. He will have the finner know himself and confefs what he is; then he gives the new name, A prince with God. If God be for us, who can be against us? The Angel does not tell him his name; for the tree of life is better than the tree of knowledge, He faw God face to face, and lived. So is it with faithful wrestlers: God refifts only to increase our defires, and we must be refolved to hearken to nothing that would hinder. Wearinefs, care, friends, fear, and unbelief, muft all be thrown afide, when we feek to fee God face to face, and to be brought into the light of life. They, who are weary of the Egyptian yoke of outward and inward fin, who cannot reft without the love of Jefus, the life of God, at laft laft become violent. They forcibly turn from the world; by force they attack the Devil; bring themselves, by force, before God; and. drag out, by ftrong confeffion, the evils that lurk within. Against these they fight by detefting and denying them. Their strength is in crying mightily to the Lord, and expecting continually that fire, which God will rain from heaven upon them. All this must be done by force, and with great conflicts; for it is against nature, which hath the utmost reluctance to it. --- The words of the text allude to the taking a fortified town by ftorming it; and this is of all: military expeditions the most dangerous. The enemy is covered and hid, and thofe, who fcale the walls, have nothing but their arms and courage. But can the wrestling foul overcome, can he take this kingdom? Ah no, not by his own ftrength; but his Joshua will take it for him. God only requires, that we fhould entreat him to do this: The prayer of repentance, the prayer of faith, ftorm mount Sion, the city of God.. He that is violent fhall receive the kingdom of God-juftification and fanctification: but remember, the violent take it by force. He fhall have many a hard ftruggle with God's enemies,. and, it may be, many with the Lord himself, before he declares him conqueror.. Some object, We have no might; and to endeavour to take the kingdom by violence, is; taking the matter out of God's hand: Is it not better to wait for the promise, stand still and fee the falvation of God? If you mean by standing; ftill, not agonizing to enter in at the ftrait gate, not wrestling in prayer, and fighting the good. Mm 3 fight fight of faith-May God fave you from this ftillnefs! You err, not knowing the fcriptures. The standing ftill there recommended, is to poffefs your foul in patience, without dejection, fear, and murmuring. Stand still as the apoftles, who watched together in prayer, ran with patience the race fet before them, and fought manfully, as faithful foldiers, under the banner of the crofs. Any other ftillness is of the devil, and leads to his kingdom. Search the new teftament, and fhew me one ftanding ftill, after he had been convinced of his wants. Did the Centurion, did the woman of Canaan, did blind Bartimeus ftand ftill? Did St. Paul, did the woman with the bloody iffue ftand ftill? Did not all of them ufe the power they had? I do not defire you to ufe, what you have not; only be faithful ftewards of the manifold grace entrufted to you. A kingdom, a kingdom of heaven is before you-power to reign with Jefus as his priests and kings. Stir up then thy faith; reach forward to the things which are before. Become a wrestling Jacob, and you fhall fhortly be a prevailing Ifrael. Be not difcouraged, for, as a good man obferves," God frequently gives in one moment, what he hath apparently withheld for many years." Thou fool, this night thy foul fhall be required of thee. Luke xii. 20. LE ET us confider, I, Why our Lord calls the perfon mentioned in the text fool-Thou fool. II, The fudden, and unexpected feparation between this rich man and his all. III, The circumftance of the particular time of his deathThis night. IV, Make fome obfervations on the nature and value of a foul. V, Observe who fhall require the rich man's foul-it fhall be required. VI, Make some remarks on the laft words of the text, Thy foul fhall be required of thee. I, It is not without good reafon, that our Lord addreffes the rich man in the text with Thou fool. The picture our Lord has drawn of him hath eight ftrokes, each of which proves this worldling to have been an egregious fool. (1) He was rich in this world, but neglected being rich towards God, rich in grace. (2) He was perplexed without reafon, and exclaimedWhat shall I do! I have not where to bestow my fruits. Had he been wife, he would rather have cried out, with the jailor, What shall I do to be faved! or he would have enquired, whether all the houses of his poor neighbours were full; and whether he could not beftow upon them fome of those fruits, the abundance of which made him fo uneafy. (3) He determined to pull down his barns-not to break off his fins. The pile of them, though towering to heaven, like Babel, did not make him uneafy. (4) He resolved to build greater barns; but forgot to build the the hopes of his falvation on the rock of ages.* (5) He would fay to his foul, Soul thou hast goods laid up: But had he been wife, he would have confidered, that although he was rich as to his outward circumftances, and the things, which fupport the body, yet his foul was poor, miferable, blind, and naked. (6) He had the folly to promife himself a long life, as if he had a leafe of it, figned by his heavenly Lord. Soul, faid he, thou haft much goods laid up for many years: but God faid, Thou fool, this night &c. (7) He would fay to his foul, Soul take thine ease; but had he been directed by wisdom, he would have exhorted his foul not to reft till he had obeyed the apostle's precept, Work out your own fulvation with fear and trembling.‡ Alas! how common and how dangerous is the mistake of the children of this world, who openly follow this fool, and fay either to themfelves, or one to another, "Soul take thine ease; take care of being under any concern about falvation, there is no need of fo much ado about religion and heaven." (8) The last mark of the rich man's folly, was to fay to his deluded foul, Eat, drink, and be merry; as if a foul could eat and drink, what money can procure or barns contain. No my brethren; the grace of God, and the benefits of Chrift's death, which are called his flesh and blood, the bread of life and the living water, are the only food and drink proper for our fouls; and the true mirth and folid joy of a spirit is that, to which St. Paul exhorts us, Rejoice in the Lord, and again I fay rejoice.}} II, The *Mat. viii. 24. Rev. iii. 7. ‡Phil. ii. 12. Phil. iv. 4. |