Parochial and Plain Sermons

Let us draw near with a truc heart in fldl assurance of faith, hari. out hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, a,d out bodies washed with pure water.'"

MONG the reasons which may be assigued for the observance of prayer at stated time, there is one which is very obvious, and yet perhaps is not so carefully remembered and acted upon as if should be. I mean the necessity of sinners cleansing" themselves ti'om rime fo time of the ever-accumulating" guilt which loads their consciences. We are ever sinning,; and thout" Christ bas died once for ail to release us from our penalty, yet we are not pardoned once for all, but according" as, and whenever each of us supplicates for the gift. By the prayer of iaith we appropriate if; but only for the time, hot for ever. Guilt is again cSntracted, and must be again repented of and vashed away. Ve cannot by one act of faith establish ourselves for ever after in the favour of God. If is going" beyond His will tobe impMient for a final acquittal, when we are bid ask only for our daily bread. We

84 Sins of Iguoralzce are still so far in flae condition of the Israelites; and though we do hot offer saerit]ee, or observe the literal washing"s of the Law, 3"et we still require the periodieal renewal of those blessings whieh were formerly eonveyed in their degree by the [osaie rites; and though we.ain far more excellent g, ifts ri-oto God than he,lews did, nd by more spiritual ordinanees, yet rneans of approaehin Him xve still need, and eontinual means fo keep us in the justification in whieh baptism flrst plaeed us. Of lhis the text reminds us. lit is addressed fo Christians, fo the regenerate; yet so ,tr ri-oto flaeir regeneration having" eleansed them once for all, they are bid ever fo sprinkle the blood of Christ upon their consciences, and renew (as if were) their baptism, and so eontinually appear belote the presenee of _A_lmighty God. Let us now endeavour o realize a truth, whieh few of us will be disposed fo dispute as far as words go. 1. First eonsider onr present condition, as shown xs in Seripture. Christ bas hot ehanged this, though He bas died; if is as if was ri-oto the beginning,I mean our aetual state s men. We bave Adam's nture in the same sense as if redemption had hOt eome fo the world. If a« eome to ail the world, but the world is hot ehanged thereby as  whole,that changée is hOt  work done nd over in Christ. We are ehanged one b#one; the race of man is wht if ever was, Euiltywhat if was belote Clu'ist eme; with the same evil passions, the saine slavish will. 'l?he history of redemption, if if is fo be effeetual, mus begfin ri-oto the beginninff wih every individual of us, nd be earried ort through our owu lire. If is hot a work doue ages before we were born. We canuot profit by the work of a. Saviour, though He be the ]31esscd Son of God, so as to be saved thercby without our own working'; for we are moral agents, we bave a will of our own, and Christ must be formed in us, and turn us from darkness to light, if God's gracious purpose, fulfillcd upon the cross, is tobe in out case more thau a naine, an abused, wasted privilege. Thus the wodd, vicwed as in God's sight, can never become wiser or more enlightened than it has been. We cammt mount upon the labours of our forefathcrs. We have the saine nature that man evcr had, and we must begin from the point man evcr began from, and work out our salvation in the same slow, persevering, manner. (1.) When this is borne in mind, how important the 3ewish Law becomes to us Christians! important in itself, over and above all rct'erences contained in it to that Gospel which it introduced. To this day it t'ulfils ifs original puq»ose ot" impressin upon man his great guilt and feebleness. Those legal sacrifices and purifications which are now all done away, are still evidence to us of a fact which the Gospel has hot annulled,our corruption. Let no one lig'htly pass over the ]3ook of Leviticus, and say if only contains the ceremonial of a national law. Let no one study it merely with a critic's eye, satisfied with connecting it in a nicely arranged system with the Gospel, as though if contained prophecy only. No; if speaks to us. Are we better than the Jcws? is our nature less unbelieving', sensual, or proud, than theirs? Surely man is at all

86 Sizs of rimes the sa.me being', as even the philosophers te]l us. And if so, t.ha minute eeremonial of the Lw presents us witb, pieture of o«,r daily lire. I impressively testifies fo our continual sinning, by sug'g, esting" that an expiation is needful in all the most trivial circumstances of out conduct; and that itis at out peril if we go on carelessly and thoughtlessly, trusting" to out having, been once accepted,—whether in baptism,—or (as we think)at a certain season of repentante, or (as we may fincy) af the very rime of the death of Christ (as if then the whole race of man were really and at once pardoued and exalted),—or (woe still) if we protZanely doubt that man bas ever fallen undcr a ourse, and trust idly in the mercy of God, without, feeling" of the truc misery and infinite danger of sin. Consider the ceremony observed on the great day of atonement, and you will sec what -as the sinfulness of the Israelites, and therefore of,qll mankind, in God's sigb.t. The IIigh Priest was taken to represent the holiest person of the whole world. The nation itself was holy above the rest of the wodd; from if  holy tribe was selected; from the holy tribe, a holy family; and ri'oto th,t family, a holy person. This was the High Priest., who was thus set apart as the ehoice specimen o{ the whole human race; yet even he was hot allowed, under pain of deth, to approach even the mercy-seat of God, except once a year: nor then in his splendid robes, nor without sacrifices for the sins of himself and the people, the blood of which he c,rried with him into the holy place. Or consider the sacrifices necessary according, to the and Vcakness. 8 7 Law for sins of ignorances; or again, for the more touching any thing, which the Lzw prouounced unclean, .r for bodily disease *, and henee learn how sinfifl out ordinary thoug'hts and deeds must be, represented rg us as they are by these outward eeremonial transgressions. Not even their thanksgiving might the Israelites offer without an offe,ng of blood rg cleanse it; for out corruption is not merely in this act or that, but in out talure. (2.) Next, o pass from [he Jewish la.w, you will observe lmt God tells us expressly in the history of the fall of Adam, what the legal eeremonies implied; tha i is out very nature whieh is sinful, lIerein is the importance of the doctrine of original sin. I is very humbling, and as sueh the only rue introduction rg tire weaehin, of the Gospcl. Men eau without trouble be brought rg confess that they sin, i. e. that they commit sins. They know well enough they are not perfect; nay, that they dg nothing in the best manner. But they dg not like tobe told tha.t the race from which they proceed is deg'encrate. Even the indolent bave pride here. They think they ean do their duty, only do tot choose o do if; they like to believe (though strangely indeed, for they condemn themselves while they believe it), they like to believe that they do hot want assistance. A man must be çar gone in degradation, and has lost even that false independenee of mind which is oten a substitute for real religion in leading to exertion, who, vhile living in sin, steadily and contentedly holds the ol»inion that he is born for sin. And much more do the  Le*6.t, v,  Lcvit, v. 2. 6; xiv, 1—32,

88 Sizs of [gnorance indusrious and active dislike to bave if foreed upon their minds, that, do what they will, they have the taint of corruption about all gheir doings and imaginings. We know how ashamed men are of bein low born, or disereditably eonneeted. This is the sor of shame foreed upon every son of Adam. "Thy first father hath sinned:" this is the legend on our forehead which even the sign of the Cross does no more than blot out, leaving the mark of if. This is our shame; but I notice it here, hOt so much a£ a lmml»ling thought, as with a view of pressing upon your consciences the necessity of appearing before God af stated seasons, in order fo put aside the continually-renewed guilt of your nature. Who will date go on day after day in neglect of earnest prayer, and the Holy Communion, while each day brings its o fearflfl buMen, confing as if spontaneously, springing from out very nature, but not got rid of without deliberate and direct acts of faith in the Great Sacrifice which lins been set forth for its removal? (3.) Further, look into your own souls, my brethren, and see if you cannot discern some part of the truth of the Sclipture statement, which I ha.ve been tTing fo set belote you. Reeolleet the bad thoughts of various kmds whieh eome into your minds like darts; for these will be some evidenee fo you of the pollution and odiousness of your nature. True, they proceed fl'om your adversary, the Devil; and the very eircumstance of your experieneing them is in itself no proof of your being sinful, for even the Son of God, your Saviour, suffered fl'om the temptation of them. But you will seareely deny that they are reeeived by you so fl-eely and heartily, and II«caZ'ncss. 8 9 as fo show that Sa.tan tempts you through your nature, hOt against if. Ag'aiu, let them be ever so exterual in their first eoming', do yott hot make them your own? Do you not detain them? or do you impatiently and indig'nantly shake fiem off? Eveu if you rcjeet them, stfll do t.hey hot answer Satan's purpose in inflaming" your mind af the instant, and so evidence that the matter of which if is composed is corruptible? Do you hot, br instance, dwell on the thought of wealth and splendour till you covet these temporal blessings? or do you no surfer yourselves, though for a while, tobe envions, or discontented, or angry, or vain, or impure, or proud? Ah! who can estimate the pollution hence, of one single day; the pollution of touching merely that dcad body of sin which we put off indeed af our baptism, but whieh s tied about us while we lire herc, and is the means of our Enemy's assaults upon us! The taint of death is upon us, and surely we shall be stifled by the encompassing plague, unless God fl'om day to day vouchsafes to make us clean. . Again, reflect on the habits of sin whieh we superadded to our evil nature belote we turned to God. Here is another source of continual defilement. Instead of checkinq" the bad elements within us, perhaps we indu]ged them for years; and they truly had their ff'uit unto death. Then Adam's sin increased, and multiplied itself within us; there was, change, but it was for the worse, not for the better; and the new nature we gained, far fl'om being" spiritual, was twofold more the child of hell than tht wiflt vhieh we were born. So when, at length, we turned back into  better course, what a eom- plieated work lay belote us, to unmake ourselves! _And however long" we bave laboured at if, still how mueh uneonseious, unavoidable sin, the result of pas transg'ression, is thrown out ri'oto out hearts day by day in the energy of" out fldking` and aeting`! Thus, throug`h the sins of out youth, fle power of the flosh is exerted agains us, as a second creafive principle of evil, aiding the malice of" he Devil; Safari from without,—and out hearts ri'oto within, no passive merely and kindled by temptat.ion, but devi«i»g evil, and spealing" hard thins ag'ains God with artieulate voiee, whether we will or no! Thus do pas years fise up ag`ains us in presen ofI'ç.nees; g'ross ineonsisteneies show flemselves in our eharaeter; and mueh need have we eoninually fo implore God fo forgive us our pas ransg'ressions, whieh still live in spire of out repentanee, and ae of themselves "/ig'orously aains out beter mind, feebly influeneed by tha young`er principle of faith, by whieh we fight ag'ains hem. g FmoEher, eonsider how many sins are involved in «,ur obedienee, I may say ri'oto he more neeessiy of he case; ha is, ri'oto no having" ha more viorous and olear-sighted faith which would cnable us accurately to discern and closely to follow the way of lire. The case of the Jews will cxemplify what I mean. There were points of God's l»erfeet Law whieh were hOt urg"ed upon their aeeeptanee, beeause if was foreseen that they would uot be able fo receive them as they really should be reeeived, or to bring them home praetieally to their minds, and obey them simply and truly. Ve, Christians, with the saine evll hearts as the Jews had, and most of us as unformed in holy practice, have, nevertheless, a perfect Law. We are bound to take and use ail the precepts of the:New Testament, thoug'h if stands to reason that many of them are, in matter of faet, quitê above the comprehension of most of us. I am speaking" of the actual state of thê case, and will hot go aside fo ask why, or under what circumstances Goal was pleased to chane Ilis mode of dealing" with man. But so if is; the ]Xlinister of Christ has to teach His sinfld people a perfect obedience, and does hot know how to set about it, or how to insist on any precept, so as to secure if from being" misunderstood and misa.pplied. He secs men are acting" upon low motives and views, and finds if impossible to raise their minds all af once, however clear his statements of the Truth. tic feels that their good deeds might be donc in a much better manner. There are numberless small circumstances about their mode of doing" things, which offend him, as implying poverty of faith, superstition, and contracted carnal notions. He is obliged fo leave them to themselves with the hope that they may improve g'enerally, and outg'row their preseiat feebleness; and is often perplexed whether to praise or blame them. So is if with all of us, ]Xlinisters as well as people; it is so with the most advanced of Christians while in the body, and God secs it. 'hat a source of continual defilement is here; hot an omission merely of wlmt mig, ht be added to our obedience, but a cause of positive offence in' the Eyes of Eternal 19urity! Vho is hOt displeased when a man attempts some g-reat work which is above his powers? and is if an excuse for his miserable l)erformance that the work is above him? Voxv riais is our case; we are bound fo serve God with a perfect heart; an exalted work, a work for which out sins disable us. And when we attempt if, necessary as is out endeavour, how miserable must if appear in the eyes of the Angels! how pitifid out exhibition of ourselves; and, withal, how sinful! since did we love God more from the heart, and had we served IIim from out youth up, if would hot have been with us as if is. Thus out velT calling as creaturcs, and ag'ain as elcct children of God, and freemcn in the Gospel, is by out sinfulness ruade our shame; for if purs us upon duties, and again upon the use of privileges, which are above us. We attempt great things with the certainty of failing, and yet the necessity of attempting; and so wlzile we attempt, need continual forgiveness for the failtre of the attempt. We stand before God as the Israelites af the passover of tIezekiah, who (lesb'ed fo serve God according" fo the Law, but could hot do so accurately from lack of knowledge; and we tan but offer, through out Great High Priest, out sincerity and earnestness instead of exact obedience, as Hezekiah did for them. "The good Lord pardon every one, that _pre29are[h lis heart fo seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though he be hot cleansed according fo the purification of the sanctuaryt; '' hot performin, that is, the full duties of his calllng. And if such be the deficiencies, even of the established Christian, in hls ordinary state, how grent must be flmse of the penitent, who bas but lately begun the and II'caZ'ness. 93 service of God? or of the young', who are still within the influence of some unbridled imag'ination, or some domineering' passion? or of the heavily depressed spirit, whom Safari binds with the bonds of bodily ailment, or tosses to and fro in the tumult of doubt and indeeision? Alas! how is their conscience defiled with the thoug-hts, nay the words of every bout! and how inexpl'essibly needful for them fo relieve themselves of the evil that weig`hs upon their heart, by drawing near to God in full assurance of faith, and washing` away their g`uilt in the Expiation whieh He bas appointed! Vhat I have said is a eall upon you, mv brethren, in the first place, to daily private prayer. Next, if is a eall upon you to join the publie services of the Chureh, hot only once a week, but whenever you have the opportunity; knowing' well that 3"out Redeemer is espeeially present where two or three are gathered togerber. And, further, if is an espeeial eall upon you to attend upon the eelebration of the Lord's Supper, in whieh blessed ordinanee we really and truly gain that spirifual lire whieh is the objeet of out daily prayers. The Body and Blood of Christ g'ive power and eftieaey to out daily faith and repentanee. Take this view of the Lord's Supper; as the appointed means of obtaining` the great blessing's you need. The daily prayers of the Christian do but spring from, and are referred baek to, his attendanee on if. Christ died once, long" sinee: by eommunieating in His Saerament, you renew the Lord's death; you brin into the midst of you that Sacrifice whieh took away the sins of the world; you appropriate the benefit of if, while you eat if under the

94 Sins of @wrance elements of bread and wine. These outward slgns are simply the means of an hiddcn grace. You do hot expect to sustain your animal life without food; be but as rational in spiritual concerns as you are in temporal. Look upon the consecra.ted elements as necessay, undcr God's blessing, fo your continual sanctification; proach them as the salvation of your souls. Why is if more strange that God should work through means for the health of the soul, than that IIe should ordain them ibr the preservation of bodily life, as He certainly bas done? If is unbelief to think if matters hot to your spiritual welfare whether you communicate or hot. And if is worse than unbelief, it is utter insensibility and obduracy, hot to discern the state of dea.th and corruption into which, when left to yourselves, you are continually falling back. ]ather than] God, that whercas you are sinners, instead of His leaving you the mere general promise of lire through His Son, which is addressd to all men, He bas allowed you to take that promise fo yourselves one. by one, and thus gives you a humble hope tllat He bas chosen you out of the world unto salvation. Lastly, I have all along spoken as addressing true Christians, who are wa.lking in the narrow way, and bave hope of heaven.:But these are the "fev." Are there none here present of the "many" who walk in the broad way, and bave upon their heads all their sins, from their baptism upwards? Rathe; is it not probable that there are persons in this congregation, who, though mixed with the people of God, are really unforgiven, and if they now died, would die in their sins ald IVcakess. 95 First, let those who negleet the Itoly Communion ask themselves whether Lhis is hot their condition; let them refleet whether among" t.he sig'ns by whieh itis given us fo aseertain out state, there ean be, Lo a man's own conscience,  more fearfifl one than Lhis, that he is omitting wha.t is appointed, as the ordinary mems of his salvation. This is  plain test, about whieh no one ean deeeive himself. But next, let him bave recourse fo , more aeeurate seareh into lais conscience; and ask himself whether (in the words of the text) he "dmws near to God with  true heart," i. e. whether in spire of his prayers and religious services, there be hot some secret, unresisted lusts within him, whieh make his devotion  moekery in the sight of God, and leave him in his sins; whether he be hot in Lruth thoughtless, and religious only ,s far as his friends make him seem so,—or light-minded and shallow in lais religion, being" ignorant of the depths of lais guilt, and resLing presumptuously on his own innocence (as he thinks it) and God's mercy;—vhether he be not set upon gain, obeying God only so tr as lIis service does not interfere with the service of mammon;—whetller he be not harsh, evil-tempered,—unforgiving, unpitiful, or high-minded,self-confident, and secure;—or whether he be not fond of the fashions of this world, which pass way, desirous of the friendship of the great, and «,f sharing in the refinements of society;—or whether he be not given up to some engrossing pursuit, which indisposes him fo the thought of his God and Saviour. Any ote deliberate habit of sin inca.pacitates a man for receiving the gifts of the Gosl)el. Ail such states of mind as these are fcarful symptoms of the existence of some such wilful sin in out hearts; and in proportion as we trace these symptoms in out conduct, so much we d'ead, lest we be reprobate. Let us then approach God, all of us, confessing that we do hot lnow ourselves; that we are more guilty than ve can possibly understand, and can but timidly hope, hot confidently deternfine, that we bave te faith. Let us take comtbrt in out being still in a state of grace, though we bave no certain pledge of salvation. Let us beg Him to enlighten us, and comfooE us; to forgive us all our sins, tcaching us those we do hot see, and enabling us to overcome them.