Patience, Resignation, Fortitude, Self-Denial, &c. These graces imply a state of suffering and obscurity, and can only be exercised by saints on earth. It is much easier to act for God than to suffer without murmuring, and trust without doubting. He will have us know things experimentally. There is a wide difference between learning things by the report of others, and acquiring a knowledge of them by our own feelings and experi ence. He will have us pray. The certainty of what shall befal us would damp the spirit of prayer, if not extinguish it. An assurance that events are at the absolute disposal of God, joined to an entire ignorance of what the next moment may bring forth, makes us feel our dependence on God, and serves as a stimulus to prayer besides, the fore knowledge of all our trials would drive us to despair; the mind, contemplating them all together, would sink under the intolerable burdens; as a ton weight will crush a man to death, tho' he can easily carry twenty hundred weight at twenty different times. He increases our knowledge by degrees, according to our capa cities. We cannot bear the sudden burst of perfect knowledge, more than of the sun rising instantaneously: we suffer no incon venience from his gradual approach, tho' the very inferior lustre of a flash of lightning dazzles, and sometimes blinds us, He intends to promote the general welfare of the church at large, and the particular interests of individual believers. Perhaps every man has a besetting sin, which has a stronger ascendency over him than other sins, and is much harder to be eradicated: God especially aims at destroying it, as an invading army endeavours to make itself master of the capital city. If we knew our own and other people's besetting sin, we should probably find the reason of many providences, which now appear strange and inexplicable. If we had the disposal of human affairs, we should arrange them very differently: our inclination would induce us to have every thing quite plain, so that we might see from the beginning to the end. We should survey all the second causes by which events are brought about: in fact, we should reject faith, live by sense, and reduce every thing to our own comprehension. We should accommodate every thing to our own fancies and conveniences, rather than to God's glory; by which, we should lose invaluable treasures of Christian experience. Selfishness is universally predominant amongst the unconverted, and prevails too much amongst the pious. The plans of God are so wonderfully contrived, that they equally comprehend the advantage of the whole church, and of all its parts; yet God will at last explain the particular reasons of his conduct, that we may glorify him, and be fully sensible of the benefits he has Conferred upon us. Let us briefly examine the wisdom and goodness of God in the THE SINNERS' FRIEND. management of the church, and of that eminent man of God, Joseph; so far as the holy Scriptures and the course of ages will enable us. But lest I should engross too large a portion of a single Magazine, I will defer the investigation till next month. W. W. Wotton under Edge. THE SINNERS' FRIEND. This Man receiveth Sinners. Luke xv. 2. WERE all the celebrated sayings of the great sages of antiquity, and all the harmonious tunes and enchanting airs that ever charmed the ear and animated the heart collected together, not one of the former would appear so important, nor one of the latter so melodious to the soul that divine grace has made sensible of its true condition, as the short sentence now before us. Little did the Scribes and Pharisees think, when they scornfully spake thus of our dear, but despised, Redeemer, that they were bearing testimony to the very design and purport of his mission into our world, and publishing that glorious truth which should rejoice the heart of the humble penitent in all ages, and prove the brightest jewel in the Saviour's crown! Come, my fellow-culprit, whoever thou art that standest condemned at the bar of conscience, of having violated the divine law, and become obnoxious to the just wrath of Heaven,-come, and let us try if we can suck a little of the honey and milk, which this encouraging portion of Scripture is calculated to afford. What man? the God-man "This man receiveth sinners.' Christ Jesus he who was the delight of his eternal Father, brought up with him, and continually before him, long ere the worlds were framed, or angels or men had received their existence or their name (a). He who, being the fellow or equal of his Father (6); the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person (c);-the mighty God, and Father of eternity (d) ; —God over all, blessed for ever (e);-the Alpha and Omega, the first and last (f);-who having created all things, both in heaven and earth, for himself (g);-and upholding them all by the word of his power (h), did yet condescend to take upon him the nature of man() and the form of a servant (k);-to be made of a woman (/);—and born into our world of sin and sorrow (m);--and by thus uniting the human nature to, or (as it were) engrafting it upon, the Divine, to become Immanuel, God with us (2);-God in Christ reconciling the world unto himself (0). (a) Prov. viii. 22, 31. (d) Isa. ix. 6. (m) Isa. ix. 6. (b) Zech. xiii. 7. John x. 30. (e) Rom. ix. 5. (i) Heb. ii. 16. Matt. i. 25. (f) Rev i. 11. (0) 2 Cor. v. 19. This is the glorious Person-the God-man, Mediator,-of whom it is said he receiveth sinners. Is it demanded for what purpose does he receive them? What does he mean to do for them? We reply in his own words, and those of his holy Spirit,-To save them from their sins (p);-to redeem them from the curse of the law, having himself been made a curse for them (q);-to give them repentance and forgiveness of sins (r);-to afford rest to their weary consciences (s) ;-to reconcile them to his Father (t);-to screen them from all condemnation (u);—to secure to them eternal life (x);-to give them the victory over all their enemies (y); -to guide, and guard, and supply them, all the while they travel through the wilderness (z):--and, finally, to receive them to himself, and give them a share of his own joy, and a crown of glory in the world to come (a). But, perhaps, some poor self-convicted soul may say, These are rich blessings, indeed! but for whom are they provided? What sinners are they whom Christ receives?' Ah, my brother, my sister, the reply to this question leads us to the sweetest part of the passage we are considering! its brightest glory is that it contains no limitation; if it did, you and I might justly despair of reception, but Christ Jesus restrains not his benevolence to sinners of any age, sex, country, or complexion: he receiveth all sinners who are made willing to come to him. The first lesson, we believe, which the Spirit of God teaches, is a feeling sense of the soul's vileness, misery, and utter helplessness, and its consequent need of a Saviour: and where this is once seen, there is every ground of encouragement, but not one of hesitation or doubt. Our gracious Lord has, again and again, invited thee to come to him that thou mayest obtain pardos, pence, and everlasting life (b). He has promised that "whosoever cometh to him he will in nowise cast out" (c); and that "those who believe on him shall never perish, but shall have eternal life” (a). What then is it that prevents thee from flying to his arms? Dost thou doubt his ability to save? How canst thou do this, and yet profess to believe the Scriptures? Do they not bear ample testimony to his divinity? And are not all things possible with God ()? Do they not declare that all power is given unto him, as Mediator, both in heaven and earth ()? That he is exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour for this very purposeto give repentance, and forgiveness of sins (g)? That his name is above every name; and to him every knee must bow, and every THE SINNERS' FRIEND. 351 tongue confess,-whether in heaven or on earth (h)? And that he is able to save to the very uttermost all who come unto God by him (i)? Dost thou believe his power, but question his willingness to save thee? O how canst thou wrong him so much! Was not this the very end he had in view when he submitted to live for three-and-thirty years a suffering life, and then die an ignominious and painful death (k)? Are the invitations, the expostulations, the promises which are so profusely scattered through every part of his word insufficient to convince thee? Then behold his tears! see him weeping over the sinners of Jerusalem, and bemoaning their obstinate rejection of him, and the destruction this would speedily bring upon them (1). There are few bosoms so callous as to be unaffected when they behold floods of sorrow trickling down a manly cheek; and can thine remain indifferent to a Saviour's grief? If it does, let me lead thee to Gethsemane's gloomy garden: there view his agony and sweat of blood! see how the crimson perspiration, in a cold frosty night, gushes from every pore, and then say whether he is willing to save those for whom he endured sufferings like these! Will not all this do? Come then to Calvary's awful foot; look up, and behold that Cross; who is it they have just suspended there? It is Jesus! the Prince of life and glory, thus barbarously crucified by the creatures who owe to him their existence and their all! Behold how the blood flows in copious streams from his pierced hands!—his mangled feet!-his lacerated back! observe his pallid countenance! his eyes sunk in their sockets, and just about to close in death! He cries, "It is finished!" and reclines his languid head. But hark! he says something else; "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!" Lo, he expires : and has be left thee still unconvinced? What, hast thou beheld his tears, his agonics, and flowing blood?-hast thou attended to his dying cries, and heard him pray even for his murderers, and dost thou yet ask if he is willing to save? O be not so ungrate ful! Think, with the late excellent Colonel Gardener, that thou hearest him saying to thee, " ( sinner, have I suffered all this for thee, and are these thy returns!" Fly to him; fall at his feet; and he will give thee a hearty welcome: his bowels already yearn over thee. Himself has answered that very question, what sinners he receives? And he is ready to receive thee; he cannot, he will not cast thee out. But, perhaps, thou art saying, “Ó! but I am such a great sinner! I have rebelled against him so long! he will not, surely, he will not have mercy upon me!" Yes, he will; he excludes none, however enormous their crimes; witness a murderous Manassah (m),-a vile Magdalen (),and a persecuting Saul (0)! Nay, the more flagitious is thy guilt, the more (h) Phil. ii. 9-11. 1 Tim. i. 15. 66 (i) Heb. vii. 25. (4) Matt. x. 28. 2 Cor. viii. 9. (1) Luke xix. 41-44. (m) 2 Chron. xxxii. (n) Luke vii. 35. (0) Acts ix. will his mercy be exalted in its pardon. David makes this very circumstance a plea why God should, have mercy, "For thy name's sake pardon mine iniquity, for it is great" (p). God himself invites sinners of a scarlet and crimson die to come and reason with him, and promises them forgiveness (q). If thou art a great sinner, remember for thy comfort, that Christ is a great Saviour; and thine iniquities cannot rise so high, but what his blood can overflow and drown them all (/). But another may say, "All this I know to be true; I have experienced the Saviour's compassion, and for awhile rejoiced in a sweet sense of his forgiving love; but alas! I am a vile backslider! I have forsaken my Lord, and turned back like the dog to his vomit, or the sow that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire! I have sinned against light and knowledge,-brought disgrace upon the Gospel, and crucified the Son of God afresh! and sure there can be no hope for me! O stop! let not the enemy thus drive thee on to despair! Thy guilt, indeed, is great; and great must be thy repentance; yet if even now thou art desirous to return, thy God is ready with open arms to meet and embrace his poor prodigal (5). Hear how tenderly he invites thee back,-declares himself mar ried to thee,—and promises thee free forgiveness (t). But, methinks, I hear some one crying, "O but it is only elect sinters whom he invites! I long to come to him; but who can assure me that I am elected ?" Ah, my fellow immortal, this is a share of the grand adversary to keep thee from Christ: but hearken not to his sophistry; leave thou this to God; secret things belong to him, but those that are revealed, to us and our children for ever (u). If thou art convinced of thy need of Christ, and made willing to be saved by him in his own way, and to give him all the glory of thy salvation, be assured that this disposition is wrought in thee by his own Spirit, and thou hast the fullest warrant to come to him (by which we mean a believing the scriptural testimony concerning him a receiving him in all his offices, as thy Saviour, Prophet, Priest, and King: and a casting thy soul, and all its concerns into his hands) and to believe that he is more willing to communicate all the blessings of the new covenant to thee, than thou art to accept of them. But should this feeble essay he honoured with the perusal of any who, like the Scribes and Pharisees, suppose themselves too virtuous, too good to associate with the characters we have been addressing, and come to Christ in the way we have been describing, we must take leave to observe to them that he receiveth none but sinners; he has declared that the whole need not the physician, but those who are sick; and that he came not to call (p) Ps. xxv. 11. (q) Isa. i. 18. (r) Mic. vii. 19. |