FORMS OF PRIVATE PRAYER.
HESE words cxpress the natural fcelings of the awakened mind, perccivin- its great nccd of God's hcll), yet not undcrstanding well what ifs 1)articular wants are, or how they are to be relievcd. The disciples of John the Bal»tist, and the discil)lcs of Christ, waited on their respective:Masters for instruction ow fo 2r«j. If was in vain that the duty of rcpeutance was preached to the one, and of faith to the othcr; in vain that God's mercies and His judgments were set before them, and their own duties; ¢hey seened to bave all that was necessary for making prayers for themselvcs, yet thcy could not; their hearts were full, but they remaiued dumb; they could offcr no petition except fo Se t««g fo pray; they knew the Truth, but they could not use if. So different a thin-is it to be instructed in religion, and to have so mastered if in 1)ractice that it is altogethcr onr OWllo ç/eir nee¢l bas been the need of Chrlstians ever since.
5 8 Forzzs of Private Praycr. Ail of us in ehildhood, and most men ever after, require direction hoxv to pray; and henee the use of f'orms of 2orayer, whieh have always obtained in the Chureh. John taught his disciples; Christ gave the Apostles the prayer whieh is distinuished by the name of the Lord's PJ'ayer; and after IIe had aseended on high, the Holy Spifit bas given us excellent services of devotion by the mouIh of those ldessed Saints, vhom ri'oto rime fo rime He has raised up fo be overseers in the Chureh. In the vords of St. Paul, "We knoxv not what we should pray for as we oug'ht; '' but "the Spirit helpeth our inflrmities;" and that, not only by guiding out thougts, but. by direeting out words. This, I say, is the orig'in of Form of2orayer, of whieh I mean fo speak to-day; riz. these two undeniable truths, first, that all men have the saine spiritual wants, and, seeondly, t.hat they eannot of themselves express them.:Now if has so happcned, that in these latter rimes self-wise reasoners have arisen who have questioned the use of Forms of prayer, and havc thought if better fo pray out of their own thoug-hts af random, usin words vhich come into their minds af the rime they pray. rnay be right, then, that we should have some l'eason af hand for out use of those Forms, which we have adopted because they were handed down fo us.:Not, as if if were hot quite a sudîcfet reason for using" them, that we bave received fhem, and (in St. Paul's words) that "neither ve nor the Churches of God bave known any other custom ," and that the best of Chrlstians havc ever used them; ibr this is an abunda«tly satisfactory reason;—nor again, as if we could hopc by reasons cver so good, to persuade those who inquire of us, which most likely we shall not bc able to do; for man is far gone in extrava.gance who dcliberatcly denics the use of Forms, and is likely fo find out reasons as difficult to receive as the practice we are defending;—so that wc can only say of sueh men, ai'ter St. Paul's nmnncr, "if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant," thcre is no help for if. But if may be useful to show you kow reasonable the l»ractice is, in order that you yourselves may turn it to better account; for when we know why we do, thing, we are likcly (the sa.me circumstances belng supposed) to do it more comfortably than when we obey ignorantly. Nov, I suppose no one is in any difficulty about the use of Forms of pra-er in public worship; for common sense almost will tcll us, that when many are to pray together as ote man, if their thoughts are fo go together, they must agree beforehand what is fo be the subject of their pra.yers, nay, what the wo'ds of their prayers, if there is to be any certainty, composure, ease, and regularity, in their united devotions. To be present af extempore 1)rayer, is to hear 2rayers.:Nay, if might happen, or rather often would happen, tha.t wc did hot understand what ws said; and then the person prayingis scarcely pra)'ing " in a tongue tmderstanded of the peoplc" (as out Article expresses it); he is rather inter- e6o Forms of Prizate PraA,er. eeding" for the people, than praying" wit them, and leading" thelr worship. In fhe case, then, of.publie prayer tlle need of Forms is evident; bu8 i8 is hot af first sig'h so obvious tha in.f»'ivate praycr also we neel use wrif.ten Iorms, insead of praying" e.rte»ore (as i8 is ealled); so I proceed fo show the use of flem. 1. Le us bcar in mind fle precep8 of the wise man. "]3e no rash with thy mouflb and le no thine hear be hasty fo urger any flfing" before God; for God is in heavcn, and thou upon carth; flerefore let hy words Be fcwl. '' Prayers framed af he momen8 are likely fo beeome?rreverett. Le us eonsider for a few momenfs before v¢e pray, into whose presenee we are enfering', the presenee of God. lVha need have we of humble, soBer, and sttbduel thouhs! as beeomes ereal«tres, sustained hourly by His bouny;—as Beeomes losg sizers who have no rig'ht fo speak af all, bu mus submi in silence fo Him who is holy;—and sill more, as g'rateful servanls of _lli who bought us from ruin a fhe price of His own blood; meekly sittin a Itis fee like llary fo learn and fo do Itis will, and like the penien a fhe g'rea man's feasf., quiefly adorin Him, and doing" Him service wihou dsfurbance, washing His fee (as if were) wifh out ears, and anoining them wih precious ointmenf, as having sinned mueh and nceding" large forgiveness. OEherefore, fo nvoid the irreverence of many or unfi words and rude halfreligious thouhfs, if is necessry fo pray from book or memory, nnd hot a8 random.
It may be objected, that this reason for using" Forms proves too much; riz. tlmt if would be wron ever fo do without them; which is an ovcr-rigorous bond tapon Christian liberty. ut I reply, that reverence in our prayers will be suciently secured, if at our stated seasons for prayer we make use of Forms. For flaus atone and character will be imparted fo our devotion throughout thc day; nay, even fle vcry pefifions aud ejaculations will be supplied, which we nced. And mueh more will our souls be influenced by the power of theln, af the ve T rime we are usin fleln; so that, shonld the oeeasion require, we shall find ourselves able to go forwal-d naturally and soberly into sueh addifional supplieations, as are of too partieular or private a nature, fo adlnit of being written down in set words. 2. In the next place, Forms of prayer are neeessary fo guard us against the irreverenee of wanderby thoughts. If we pray without set words (read or remembered), our minds will stray flore the subjeet; other thoughts Mil cross us, and we shall pursue them; we slmll lose sight of His presenee whom we are addressing. This wandering of nlilld is iii good measure prevented, under God's blessiug, by Forms of prayer. Thus a chier use of them is that offi.riny tke a#ention. 8. ext, they are usefifl in securing us from the irreverence of excited touyMs. And here there is room for saying nmch; for, it so halpens, Forlns of prayer are censured for the vcry circulnstance about them which is their excellence. They are accused of impedJng the current of dcvotion, when, in fact, that (so called) current is in itself faulty, and ought to be checked. And those
Forms of Private tra,cr.
persons (a.s might be expected) are most eager in ¢helr opposition fo them, who require more ¢han others the restraint of them. They sometimes throw their objection into the following form, which it may be worth while fo consider. They say, "If a man is in earnest., he will soon find woMs; ¢here is no need of a set Form of prayer. And if he is hot in earnest, a Form can do him no good." Now tiret a man who is in earnest will soon find words, is ruc or hot ¢rue, according fo what meat by being in earnest. If is ¢rue hat a certain rimes of strong emotion, grief or joy, remorse or fear, our rcligious feelings ourun and le.ve behind them any Form of words. In such cases, hot only is flere no of Forms o prayer, but it is perhaps impossible ¢o wrie _For»s of prayer for Christians agiated by such fcelings. For cach man fcels in his own way,—1)erhaps no two men exactly a.like;—and we can no more wrie down tow nen ought ¢o pray af such rimes, than we can give rules how they should wecp or be ner W. The better men flxey are, of course fixe beter they will pray in such trying rime; but yot cannot make them better; they must be leff fo themselves. And, though good men have betore now set down in .-riting Forms of prayer for persons so cireumstanced, these were doubtless meant rather as patterns and helps, or as admonitions and (if so be) quieting's of the agita.ted mind, than as 1)rayers which if was expeeted would be used literally and entirely in their detail. As a general rule, Forms of prayer should not be written in strong and impassioned language but should be calra, eolnposed, and short.. Our Saviotr's own prayer is our model in this resl)ee. How few are ifs petitions! how soberly expressed! how reverently! and at the same rime how decp are thcy, and how comprehensive!—I readily grant, then, that there are times v:hen the heurt outruns any written words as thc jailor cried out, " Vhat shall I do to bc saved? " Nay, rafhcr I would malntain tha.t set words should not attempt to imitate the impetuous worlings fo which all minds are subject af rimes in this wor]d of change (and therefore rcliglous minds in the number), lest one should seem fo encourage them. Still the question is not at all settlcd; granting there are rimes when a thankful or a woundcd heurt bursts throug'h all Forms of prayer, yet thesc are notfi-ewnt. To bc excited is hot the oï«linarj state of the mind, but the extraord[nary, the now and thcn state. Na5 more t]mn this, it o«rj]t wt fo be the common state of the mid; and if we are eneourag'ing" within us this excitement, this unceasing rush and alternation of feclings, and flfink tlmt this, and this only, is being in earnest in religion, we are harming" our nfinds, aud (in one sense) I may even sa.y grieving t.he peaceful Spirit of God, who would silently and tranquilly work His Divine work in out heurts. This, then, is an especial «se of Forms of prayer, we, we are in earnest, as we oug'ht alw,ys to be; riz. fo keep us fi'om self-willed earnestness, fo still emofion, fo eahn us, fo remind us 'hat and where we are, fo lead us to a purer and serener retaper, and fo that deep unruflted love of God and man, 'hieh is rcally the fififilling of the law, and the perfection of human nature. Then, again, as to the usefulness of Forms, if we are
zot in earnest,—this also is truc or hot, as we may takc if. For there are deg'rees of earnestness. Let us recolleet, t.he power of praying', being- a habit, must be aequired, like all other habits, by practiee. In order at length fo pray well, we must begin by praying ill, since ill is all we can do. Is no this plain? VCho, in the case of any other work, would wait till he could do if pcrfeetly, before he tried it? The idea is absurd. Yet those who object fo Forms of prayer on the ground just mentioncd, fdl into this strange error. If, indeed, we eould pray and praise Goal like the Angels, we mlght have no need of Forms of prayer; but Forms are fo teach those who pray poorly fo pray better. They are helps fo out devotion, as teaching" us what to pray for and how, as St. Jolm and our Lord taught their disciples; and, doubtless, even the best of us prays poorly, and needs the help of them. However, the persons I speak of, think that prayer is nothing" else but the bursting forth of strong feeling, hot the action of habit, but an emotion, and, t.herefore, of cotrse fo sueh menthe.very notion of learnig fo pray seems absurd. But this indulgence of emotion is in truth founded on raistake, as I bave already said. . Further, Forms are usefid fo he/.p o2t" »ce»cor#, and fo set belote us at once, completely, and in order, what we bave fo pray for. It does not follow, that when the heart is really full of the thought of God, and alive fo the reality of things unseen, then if is easiest fo pray. Rather, the deeper insight we bave into His Iajesty and our innumerable wants, the less we shall be able fo th'aw out out thoughts into words. The publicart eould only say, "God be merciful to me a sinner;" this was enoug'h for his accelg[ace; but to otTcr such a scanfy service was not to excrcise the ff;ft of prayc; the privileg'e of a ransomcd and exalted son of God. He whom Christ has illuminated vith His gracc, is heir of ail thing-s. He has an interesb in the world's multitude of mattcrs. He has a boundless sphere of duties within and withoub him. He has a glorious prospecb before him. The saints shall hereafter judge flac world; and shall they not here take cog'nizance of ifs doing's? are theynob in one scnse counsellors and confidential servants of their Lord, intercessors ab the throne of graee, the secret ag'ents by and for whom. He fluides ttis high Providence, and carries on the nations fo their doom? And in their own persons is forgiveness merc]y and acceptance (extrcme blessing's as these are) the scope of thcir desires? clse mighb they be content with bhe publican's praycr. Are they nob rather bidden to g'o on fo perfection, to use the spirit given them, fo enlarge and purify their own hcarts, and to draw out the nature of man into the fulness of its capabilities after the image of the Son of God? And for the thoug'ht of ail these objeets at once, who is sutlïcient? Whose mind is nob overpowcred by the view of its own immense privilege, so as eagerly to seek for words of prayer and intercession, carefully composed according fo the number and flac nature of the various petitions it bas to offer? so that he vho prays withoub plan, is in facb losing a great part of the privileg'e with which his Baptism has gifted him. 5. And firther, the use of a Form as a lle]p fo the memo T is still more obvions, when we take into accourir the engagements of this world with which most men are surrounded. The cares and businesses of life press upon us vith. reality which we canno over]ook. Shall we trust thc mattcrs of the nex world to the chance thoughts of our own minds, which corne this moment, and go the next, and may not be at ha.nd when the rime of employing thcm arrives, like unreal visions, having no substance and no permanence? This world is Satan's cfficacious Form, itis tho instrument through which he spreads out in ordcr and attractiveness his many snares; and thcse doubtlcss will eugross us, unless wo also give Form to thc spiritual objecIs towards which we pray and labour. How short are the seasons which most men have to give to prayer? Before they ean collect their memories and minds, their ]eisure is almost over, even if they have the power fo dismiss the thoughts of this world, which jusl5 before engaged them. Now ]?orms of prayer do thisfor them. They keep the ground occupied, that Satan may hot encroach upon the seasons of devotion. They are a standing memoria], to which we can recur as to a temple of God, finding every thing- in ordcr for our worship as soon as we g-o into if, though the rime allotted us af morning" and evening, be ever so ircumscribed. 6. And this use of Forms in 13raycr becomes great, beyond power of estimating, in the case of those multirudes of men, who, afler going on vell for a while, fall into sin. If even conscientious men require continual aids to be reminded of the next vorld, how extreme is the need of those who try fo forger it! If cannot be denied, fearful as if is to reflect upon if, that far the
For zs of P'£ate Pra,er. 6 7 g'reafer number of those who eome fo manhood, for while (a leas) deser the God who has redeemed them; and, then, if in their earller years thoy hve learned and used no prayers or psalms by wbieh fo worship Him, wha is fo keep them from blotting, alfog'ether ff'oto their minds the thought of relig'ion But here if is that the çorms of the Çhurch have ever served her ehildren, both o restrain tbem in their eareer of sln, and o SUl»ply them with ready utternnee on tbeir repentante. Chance vords and phrases of her services adhere to ther memories, rishg up in moments of tcmptafion or of trouble, fo check or to recover them. And hence if happens, that in the most irreliglous compan]es a dstlnction is said to be observable between tbose who bave had tbc Ol)portunity of us]ng our pulfllc Forms in fleir youth, and those wbose rclgious irapressions have hot becn thus hnppily forfificd; so tiret, amid their most rccklcss mirth, and most daring prctence of profligacy, a sort of secret rcverence has attended the wanderers, restraining them from that impiety and 1)rofaneness in whlch the others bave t{ed to conceal from themselves the gu]lt and peril of iheir dolngs. And again on their repentance (should they be favoured with so high grace), what friends do they seem fo find zmid their gloom in the WOl2S they learned in their boyhood,— kindly voiee, aidlng them fo say what they otherwise wofld hot know how to say, guiding and eomposing their minds upon those objects of faith whlch they ought fo loo1 to, but eannot find of themselves, and so (as if were) infereeding for them with the power of the blessed Sl»irit, while nature can but grom and travail in pain! Sinners as they are by their own voluntary misdeeds, and with a prospeet of punishment before them, enlightened by but few and faint gleams of' hope, what shall keep them flore feverish restlessness and all the extravag"anee of fear, what shall soothe them into a fixed resigned waiting for their Judge, and sueh lowly efforts fo obey Him, however poorly as beeome a penitent, but those words, long buried in their minds and now rising again as if with the life of their uneorrupted boyhood? If requires no great experienee of siek beds fo verify the truth of' this statement. ]31essed, indeed, is the power of those forlnularies, whieh thus sueeeed in throwing a sinner for a while out of himself, and in bringing before him the seenes of his youth, his guardian ffiends now long departed çheir ways and their teaehing, their pious services, and their peaeeful end; and though all this is an exeitement, and lasts but for a season yet, if improved by him, if raay be con- verted into an habitual eontelnplation of persons and deeds whieh now live to God though removed henee,—if improved by his aeting upon if, it will beeome an abiding motive fo seek the world to eome an abiding persuasion winning him ffom the works of darkness and raising him to the humble hol)e of future aeeet)tanee with his Saviour and Judg.e. 7. Sueh is thc force of association in undoing, the evil of past years and reealling us to the innocence of ehildren. Nor is this all we may gain flore the prayers we use, nor are penitent sinners the only persons who ean profit by it.. Let us reeolleet for how long a period our t)rayers have been the standard Forms of devotion in the Church of Christ, and we shall gain a fresh reason for loving them, and a fl'csh source of comfort in using them. I know diierent persons will feel differently here, aceording" fo their different turn of mind yet surely there are few of us, if we dwclt on the thought, but would feel if a privilege fo use, as do (for instance, in the Lord's Prayer), the very petitions whieh Christ spoke. He gave thc prayer and used if. His Apostles used it; all thc Saints ever sinee bave used it. Whea we use it we seem fo join eompany with them. Who docs hot tbink bimself brought nearer to any eelebrated man in history, by seeing his bouse, or lfis furniture, or his handwriting-, or the very bool:s that were his? Thus does the Lord's Prayer bring s near fo Christ, and fo His disciples in every agc.:No wondcr, then, that in past rimes good men thought this Form of prayer so saercd, that if seemcd to them impossible fo say if too often, as if some espeeial gracc -ent with the use of if. Nor ean we use if too often; if eontains in itself a sort of plea for Christ's listening" to us; we eannot, so that we keep our thoughts fixed on ifs petitions, and use out minds as well as out lips when we-repeat if. And what is true of the Lord's Prayer, is in its measure truc of most of those prayers wbieh our Church teaehes us to use. If is truc of the t'saIms also, and of the Crceds all of which bave beeome saered, from the memory of saints departed who bave used them, and whom we hopc one day fo meet in heaven. One caution I give in conclusion as to uslng these thoughts.:Beware lest your religion be oneof sentiment merely, not of practice, i[en may speak in a high imaginative w,oy of the ancient Saints and the Holy Apostolic Church, without making the fervour or retnement of fllcir devotion bcar upon their conduct, l[any a man likcs to be x'eligious in graccful language; he loves relgious tales and hymns, yet is never the better Christian for all this. ihe wo'ls of every day, these are the tests of our glorious contemplations, whether or hot they shall be available to our salvaHon and ho who does one dced of obedience for Christ's sake, let him have no imagination and no fine feeling, is a better man, and returns to his homc justifled rather than the most eloquent speaker, and the most sensitive hearer, of the glory of the Gosl»el, if such men do hot practlse up to the'.'r knowledge.
HESE words of out Saviour show us how much more there is in Scripture flmn af first sight appears. God spoke to Moses in the burning bush, and called Himself the "God of Abraham;" and Christ tells us, that in this simple announcement was contained the promise that Abraham should rise again from the dead. In truth, if we may say it with reverence, the All-wise, All-know-. ing God cannot speak without meanin$ many things at once. He sees the end from the beginning; te understands the numberless connexions and relations of all things one vith another. Every word of His is full of instruction, looking manyways; and though if is not often given to us to knoxv these various senses, and we are noL af liberty fo attempt lighfly to imagine them, yet, as far as they are told us and as far as we ma.y reasonably inter them, we must thankfully accept them. Look af Christ's words, and this same character ofthem will strike you; whatever IIe szys is fi'uitful in meaning, tnd refers fo many t.hing, s. If is well fo keep this in mind when we read Scripture; for if may hinder us fi'om self-conceit, fi'om studying" if in an arrogant critical retaper, and from #i,i»ff over reading if, as if we had got from if all that eau be learncd. 1Vow let us considcr in wha sense the text eontains promise of a resurreetion, and see what instruction may be g'ained from knowing When God ealled Himself the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, He implied that those holy patriarchs were still alive, though they were no more seen on earth. This may seem evideng af first sight; but if may be asked, how the text proves that their bo«lies would lire; for, if their so«ls were still living, that would be enough fo aeeount for their being still called in the ]3ook of Exodus sewants of God. Thls is the point fo be eonsidered. Our ]31essed Lord seems fo tell us, t.ha+ in some sense or other Abraham's body might be eonsidered still alive as pledge of his resurreetion, though if was dead in the common sense in whieh we apply the v«ord. His announcement is, Abraham shall fise from the dead, because in truth, he is still alive. He cannot in the end be held unde- the power of the grave, more than a sleeping man can be kept from waking. Abraham is still alive in the dust, though hot risen thence. He is alive bec,use all God's saints lire fo Him, though they seem fo perish. If ma.y seem a paradox to say, that out bodies, evert l'he tcs«rrccæion of æhc to,qg'. 7 3 hen dead, are still alive; bu since out Lord scems fo countennce us in saying so, I -ill say it, though strange saying, because i has an instructive meaning. We are ap fo talk about out bodies as if we knew how or what they really were; whereas we only know what out eyes tell us. They seem fo grow, fo eome fo ma- urit.y, fo deeay; but after ail we know no more about rhum than meets out senses, and there is, doubtless lnueh which God sees in out material frames, which we canno s. We have no direct eogaizanee of wha nmy be called the substantive existence of the body, oldy of ifs accidents. Again, we are apt fo speak of «otll and bo«ly, s if we eould distinguish between them, and knew much about hem; but ibr the most part we use words wit.hou meaning. It is uful indeed fo make the distinction, and Scripture makes it; bu after all, the Gospel speaks of out nature, lu a religious sense, as one. Soul and body make up one man, which is born once, and never dies. Philosophers of old rime thought the soul indeed might lire for ever, but that the body perished at death; but Christ tells us otherwise, He tells us the body will live for ever. In the text He seems to intinaate tlmt if never really dies; that we lose sight indeed of what we are aeeustomed fo see, but that God still sees çhe elements of it which are hot exposed fo out senses. Goal graciously called Himself h.e God OE Abraha». He did hot sa.y the Goal of Abraham's soul, but simply of Abraa. He blest Abraham, and He gave him etcrnal lire; hot to his so only without his body, but to Abraham as one man. And so He is Çr God, and if is not given us to distinguisll between vhat He does or our different natures, spiritual and material. These are mere words; each of us may fcel himself fo be one, and that one being', in all its substantial parts, and attributes, will never die. You will see tllis more clearly by considering what our Saviour says about tlle blessed Sacrament of His Supper. Hc says He will give us His flesh to eat 1. How is flfis donc? wc do not know. Hc gives if under the outward sylnbols of bread and wine. But in what real sense is the consccrated bread His body? If is hot told us, we may hOt inquire. We say indeed s2ffri[ua[ @ sacramentally, in a heavenly way; but this is in order to impress on our minds religious, and hOt carnal notions of it. All we are eoneerned fo know is, [he effet[ upon us of partaking- this blessed food. Now observe what He tells us about that. "Exeept ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and d6nk tIis blood, ye have no lire in you. Whoso eateth 3fy flesh, and drinketh:SIy blood, hath eternal lire, and I will tarse him q) aithe last @." Now there is no distinction ruade here between soul and body. Christ's blessed Supper is food fo us altogether, ««ha[ever we are, soul, body, and all. If is the seed of etemal lire within us, the food of immortality, to "preserve out body and soul unto everlasIing life. '' OEhe forbidden fruit, wrought in Adam unto
1 John ri. 51. John ri. 53, 54. s,, In the Supper of the Lord there is no vain ceremony, no bare slgn, no untrue figure of a thing absent; but as the Scripture suys,. the communion of the Body and Blood of the Lord, in a malwellous incorporation, whieh by the operation of the Ho]y Ghost . is death; but this is the fruit whieh makes us live for ever..Bread sustains us in this te,m.lJora life; the eonseerated bread is the means of eternag strength for soul and body. Who eould lire this visible life without earthly food? And in the same general way the Supper of the Lord is the "azea,s" of out living for ever. We have uo reason for thinking we shall live for ever unless we eut it, no more than xve have reason to think our temporal life will be sustained without meat a«d drink. God ca», indeed, sustain us, "hot by bread alone;" but this is His ordi»a,y lneans, x:hieh His will has ruade sueh. He ean sustain out immortality witlmut the Christian Sacraments, as He sustained Abraham and the other saints of old rime; but under the Gospd these are His mea,«s, which He appointed at His will. We eat the sacred bread, and our bodies become sacred; they are hot ours; they are Christ's; they are instinct with that flcsh which saw not corruption; they a.re inhabited by His Spirit; they become immortal; they die but to appearance, and for a rime; they spring up when their sleep is endcd, and reign ith Him for cver. The inference to be drawn from this doctrine is plain. Among the wise men of the heathen, as I have said, if was usual to speak slightingly and contemptuously of the mortal body they knew no better. They thought it scarcely a part of their real selves, and fancied they should be în a better condition without it. Nay, they considered if to be the cause of their sinning; as if the through faith wrotght in the souls of the falthful, whereby hot only thelr souls lire to eternal life, but they surely trust to wia, lleir bodies a resurreclion to immortallty."—lto»il o tke 8acra»,e»t, Part I.
-76 Te Rcs¢r'.ectioiz of te 27oary. seul of man were pnre, and tle material body were g'ros and defiled the souk lire lmve been tang'lt tle t.ruth, riz. that sin is a disease of or »bds, of ourselves and that the whole of us, net body alone, but seul and body, is naturally eorrnpt, and tha Christ las redeemed and eleonsed wlmtever we are, sinful seul and bodr. Aeeordingly t]eir chier lmpe in death was the notion they shonld be rid of their body. leelin they were sinful, and net knowing" lmw, they laid the eharg'e on their body and knowing, they were badly eireumstaneed here, they thoug-ht death perehanee mig&t be a ehane for the bettar. Net tha they rested on the hope of returning" te a God and latler, but they thoug'ht te be unshaekled from the earth, and able te de what they would. If was eonsisten with this slig'htin of their earthly tabernacle, tha they burned the dead bodies of their fi'iends, no burying" tlem as we de, but eonsuming- t.hem as a mere worhless case of what had been preeious, and was then an ineumbranee te the round. 'ar different is the temper whieh the g'lorious lig'ht of the Gospel teaehes us. Out bodies shall rise ag'ain and lire for ever tley may net be irreverently lmndled..t[oo they will fise we know net but surely if the word of Seripture be true, the body frein whieh the seul has departed shall eome te lire. 'here are seine trutls addressed solely te out faith, net te out reasonl net te our reason, beeause we know se little about «the power of God" (in out Saviour's words), that we have nothing" te reason «q)o. One of these, for instance, is the presenee of Christ in the Saerament. We.{'.n.o0 we eat His t3ody and Blood but if is out
The tYesurrcctioz of the tody. 0-77 wisdom noL euriously fo ask how or whence, noL fo give out t.houg'hts range, but fo take and eat and profit thereby. This is the secret of gaining" the blessing promised. And so, as reffards Ilae resurrection of the dead, we have no means or ground of argument. We cannoL determine in what exact sense out bodies on the resurrcction will be the same as they are at present, but we eannoL harm ourselves by taking God's declaration simply, and acting upon if. And it is as believing this eomfortable truth, that the Christian Church put aside that old irreverencc of the rimerai pile, and eonsecrated the ground for the reeeption of the saints that sleep. We deposit out departed ri-tends calmly and thoughtfully, in faith; hOt ceasing fo love or remember thaL which once livcd among us, but marking the place where iL lies, as believing that God bas set His seal upon if, and His Angels guard it. His Angels, surely, guard the bodies of His servants; Michael the Archangel, thinking iL no unworthy task to preserve them fi'om the powers of evil. Especially those like Moses, who fall " in the wilderness of the people," whose duty bas ealled them to danger and suffering, and who die a violent death, these too, if they have eaten of thaL incorruptible bread, are preserved sale till the last day. There are, who have noL the comfort of a peaceful burial. They die in battle, or on the sea., or in strange lands, or, as the early believers, undcr the hands of persecutors. Horrible tortures, or the mouths of wild beasts, have ere now
-7 8 The testrrectiou of the Yoc{y. lishonoured tlle saered bodies of those who had fcd upon Christ; and diseases eorrupt them still. This is Satan's work, the expirlng efforts of his fury, after his overthrov by Christ. Still, as iar as ve ean, cee repair these insults of out Enemy, and tend honourably and piously tllose tabernacles in whieh Christ has dwelt. And in this viev, what a venerable and fearful place is a Chureh, in and around whieh the dead are deposited! Truly if is ehiefly sacred, as being the spot where God bas for ages manifested IIimself fo His servants; but add fo this the thought, that if is the actual restingplace of those very servants, through successive rimes, who still lire unto Him. The dust around us will one day become aninmte. We may ourselves be dead long" belote, and hot sec it. We ourselves may elsewhere be buried, and, shou|d if be our exceeding blessedness fo fise fo lire eternal, we may rise in other places, far in the east or west.:But, as God's word is sure, what is sown is raised; file earth fo earth, ashes fo ashes, dust to dust, shall become glory fo glory, and lire fo the living Goal, and a truc incorruptible image of the spirit ruade perfect. Here the saints sleep, here they shall fise. A great sight will a Christian country then be, if earth remains what if is; whcn holy places pour out the worshippers who have for generations kept vigil therein, waiting through the long night for the bright coming of Christ! And if" this be so, what pious composed thoughts should be ours when we entcr Churehes! Goal indeed is every where, and His Angels g'o fo and fro; yet tan they be more worthily employed in their condescending care of man, than where good men sleep?
Ia the service of the Communiou we magnify God togethcr with Angcls and Archangcls, and all thc company of hcaven. Surcly thcrc is more mcaning in this tlmn we knov ofl what a "¢h'cadfitl" place would this appear, if our cycs wcrc opened as those of Elish,'s servant! " This is none othcr than the housc of God, and ths is the gare of heaven." On the other hand, if the dcad bodies of Christians are honourable, so doul)tless are the living; 5eca«se they bave had their blesseçhmss whcn living', t$er;fore have thcy in thcir sleep. He who docs hot honour his own body as something holy unto the Lord, may indeed revere the dead, but i is then a mere superstition, no an ac of piety. To rcverenee holy 1)laces (right as is) will hot profit a man unless he revcrenees Consider what if is to be 1)artakeï of the:Body and ]31ood of Christ. Wc pray God, in out Chureh's languagc, that "our sinful bodics nlay bcconlc elean through His body;'" and wc are promised in Seripture, tha out bodies shall be te»q)les of t]e IIo[ G]ws[. IIow should we stndy, then, fo eleanse tbem fronl all sin, that they may be truc members of Chris! We are told that the peril of dioease and death attends the unworthy par- ¢aking of the Lord's Suppcr. Is this wonderful, eonsldering the strange sin of rceeiving it into a body disgraced by wili'ul disobedienee? All that defiles it, intenlperance or other vice, all that is unbecoming, all that is disrespeefful to IIim who bas bought, our bodies with a priee must be pu aside . Hear St. Paul's
8o The tes«trrcclioz of the t]oar),. words, "Christ being, raised ri'oto tlae dead, dieth no naore.., likewise reekon ye also yourselves to be dead unIo sin... let hot sin therefore reig'n in your mortal body, that ye should obey if in the lusts thereof. '' "'If the Spirit of IIim who raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, IIe that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quieken your mortal bodies by tIis indwellin Spirit..... Il" ye, Ihrough Ihe Spirit, do morti- the deeds of Ihe body, ye shall live Work toxther with God, therefore, my brethren, in Lhis work of your redempLion. While He feeds you, prepare for Lhe heavenly feasL; "diseern the Lord's body" when iL is plaeed belote you, and suitably Ireasure if afterwards. La 3" up year by year this seed of lire within you, believing it will one dav bear ri'uit. "' Believe that ye receive if., and yc shall have it. '' Glorious, indeed, will be the swing,rime of the ](esurrection, when all that seemed dr)" and withered will bud forfl and blossom. Thc glory of Lebanon will be givcn it, the excellency of Carmcl and Sharon; the tir trce for thc thorn, the myrtle tree for the briar; and the mountains and the hills shall break forth before us in singing. Vho would miss bcing of that company? Wretched men they will then appear, who now for season cnjoy the p]easures of sin. Wre/ehed, who follow their own selfish will, instead of walking by faith, who are now idle, instead of trying, fo serve God, who are set upon the world's vanities, or who scoff at religion, or who allow ihemselves in known sin, who lire in anger, or malice, or pride, or covetousness, who do not continually strive fo become botter and holicr, who are afraid fo profess themse]ves Christians and take up thcir cross and follow Christ. May the g'ood Lord make us all willing" to follow Him! may He rouse the slumberers, and raise them fo a new life here, that they may inherit ttis eternal kingdom hereafter!