Parochial and Plain Sermons

"' Sttrehj I haie behaved ad qtdeted myself, as a cltild that is wean.eel ofhis mother: my soM is eren as a weaned chihl.'"

ELF-1)ENIAL oi' some kiml or other is involved, as s evidcnf., in thc vcry nofion of rcncval and holy obedienec. To chage our hearts is fo lcarn fo love things which we do hot naturallv love—fo unleal'n the love of this world; bu this involves, of course, a thwarfing" of our lmfural wishes and tasfes. To be rig-htcou.- and obedicn implies selt'-COlnmanfl; but o possess power we must have g'ained it; nor tan we g'ain it withouL a vizorous sLrn.ge, a perseverin. warfare ag'ains ourselves. The very notion of being religous implies self-denial, beeause bv nature we do no love religion. Self-denial, thelb is a subjeet never ouL of place in Cristian teaehin; still more appropriate is i a a rime like this, when we have entered upon the forty days of IaenL, the season of the year se apart for fasting  and humiliation.

This indced is hOt all that is meant ly self-denial; but before proeeeding" ith thc subje(.t, I would ask whether the g-euel'ality of manldnd go as thr as this: if is plain that they do hot. They do hOt go so fitr as to realize to themselves that religious obedience involves a thwartin of those wishes and inelinations whieh are natural to them. They do hot like fo be eouvineed, nmeh less will they act upon the notion, that religion is diffieult. You lnay hear men of the worh[ say plain]y, and as if in the way of ar'mnent, '¢ that God will hot punish us for indulg'ing the passions with which we are born; that if is no praise fo be unnatunfl; md no crime fo be a mau." ïhls, however, may sm an extreme case; yet are there noL a great many deeenL and respeeLable men, as fitr as outward eharaeter goes; who aL leas fix their thouhts on WOl'kUy eolnfort, as the greatest of -goods, and who labour t plaee themselves in easy eireumstanees, under the notion that, when they ean retire ff'oto the business oç their temporal eallin, then fley nay (in a quiet, unexeeptionab]e wav of course) eonsul Lheir own tastes and likings, take their pleasure, and indu]ge themselves in self-importance and self-satisfaction, in the enjoymenL of wealth, power, distinction, popularity, and eredi? I mn hot aL this moment askin whether sueh indulgences are in thelnselves allowable or hot, buL whether the lire whieh centres in Lhem does no imply the absenee of any very deep ews of sanctification as a proeess, a change, a painfifl toil, of working" out our own salvation with fear and tremb|ing', of preparing, to meet our God, and waiting for the judgment? You may o into mixed soeiety; you will hear D. men eonversing on their fi'iend's prospeets, openings in trade, or realized wealth, on his advantageous situation, the pleasant eonnexions he has fi>rmed, the land he has purehased, the house he has built; then they anmse themselves with eo@eturing what this or that man's property may be, where he lost, where he gained, his shrewdness, or his rashness, or his good fortune in this or that speeulatima. Observe, I do hot say that sueh conversation is wrong; I do hot say that we must always have on our lips the vcrv thoughts which are dcepcst in our hearts, or that it is sale to judg'e of individuals by such spceches; but when this sort of conversation is the customary standard conversation of the vorld, and when a. line of conduct answering to it is the prevalcnt conduct of the world (and this is the case), is if hOt a grave question for each of us, as living in the world, fo ask himself what abidin notion we have of the necessity of selLdenial, and how far we are clear of the danr of resembling that evil generation whieh "aie and drank, whieh married wives, and were given in marriage, whieh bought and sold, planted, and builded, till it rained tire and brimstone from heaven, aud destroyed them all  '' If is strange, indee:l, h9w fir this smne forgetfulness and transgression of the duty of self-deni:,l at present spreads. Take anotheï elass of persans, very different ri'oto those just mentioned, men who profess much lave for relig'ion—I mean su«h as maintain, that if a man has faith he will have works without his trouble, sa that he need be af no pains about perl%rming them. Sueh persans af best seem fo say, that religi«,us obedienee is fo follow as a marrer of course, an easv work, or rather a neeessarv eonsequenee, ri'oin having saine strong urgent motive, or ri'oto saine bright vision of the Truth aeting on the mind; and thus they dismiss ri'oto tbeir religion the notion of self-dental, or the effort and warfare of faith against out eorrupt natnral will, whether they aetually own that they dismiss if or not. I say that they da this af best  for itoften happens, as I just now intimated, that they aetually avow their belief that faith is all-suffieient, and da hot let their minds dwell at all on the neeessity of works of righteousness. AIl this being eonsidered, surely I ara hot wrong in saying that the notion of self-dental as a distinct religious duty, and, mueh more (as it may well be ealled), the essence of religious obedienee, is hot adlnitted into the minds of the generality of men. But let it be observed, I have hitherto spoken of selfdental hot as a distinct dtity aetually eolnmanded in Seripture, but merelv as if is involved in the very notion of sanetitïeation, as neeessarily attendant on that change of nature whieh God the Holy Spirit vouehsafes fo work within us. But now let us consider iL in the lig'ht of thc Scripturc prcccpts conccrnin, if, and we shall come fo a still more serious view of it, serious (I mean) to hose who arc livinff fo thc world; if is this,that if is «,ur duty, hot only to dcny ourselves in what is sinfid, but cven, in a ccoEain measurc, in lawfifl things, to kecp a rcstraint over oursclvcs cvcn in innocent plcasms and eioyments. Now the firs proof I shall ive of this will af he saine rime explain what I lneall. Fastinz is clcarly a Christian duty, as our Saviour iraplies in IIis Sermon on thc M.unt. Now what is fhsting bnt a refi-aining ri'oto what is lawfid; hot mercly from what is sinthl, but what is innocent?fi'om that bread whieh we mig'ht lawfid]y take and eat with thanksg'ivin, but whieh af certain rimes we do hot take, in order  deny ourselves. Sueh is Christian selt:denial, hot merely a mortification of what is sinthl, but an abstinence even from God's blessings. Again: eonsider the fifllowin declaration of our Saviour: He first tells us, "Strait is the gre, and narrow is the way vhieh leadeth unto litb, and few there be that find it." And again: " Strive to enter in, for many, I say uuto you, will seek (only seek) fo enter in, and shall hot be able." Then He explains to us what this peeuliar diffieulty of a Christian's lit eonsists in: " If any man eome fo Me, and hate hot his thther, and mother, and witè, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his ovn lire also, he emmot 1,e Ny disciple 1.,, Now whatever is preeisely meant by this (which I will hot here stop fo inquire), so thr is evident, that out Lord enjoins  certain refi-aining, hot merely from sin, but ri'oto imoeent eolnforts and enjoynlenIs of this litb, or seltLdenial in thing's lawtil. ACain, He says, "If any man will eome after le him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and fi»llow Ie*." I[ere IIe shows us il-oto IIis own example wha Christim selLdenial is. I is taking" on us a cross aller IIis l»attern, no a mere refraining ri'oto sin, had no sin, bu a givin up wha we mih lawfitlly use. This was the peeuliar eharaeter in whieh Chris came on earth. I was this spontaneous and exuberan selLdenial whieh brough IIim down. I[e who was.one wifl God, ook upon tIiln out nature, and sufl)red deathand why? fo save us whom IIe needed no save. Thus He denied Himself, and look up His cross. is is the very aspect, in whieh God, as revealed in Seripture, is disinguished ri'oto that exhibition of Itis glory, whieh nature gives us: power, wisdom, love, merey, lon-suffering—these attributes, thoug'h fir more Nlly and elearly displayed in Seripture than in nature, sgill are in their degree seen on he face of the visible ereaion; bu self-denial, if i may be said, this ineomprehensible attribute of Divine Providence, is diselosed to us only in Seripure. "God so loved the world tha 1 Iat. vil. 1t. Luke xiil. 2  xiv. 26.  Luke ix. 23.

tic gave IIis Son ï' IIere is self-denial. And the Son of God so loved us, that "thout_;h IIe was rich yet for our sakes IIe became poor ." IIcre is our Saviour's self-denial. " IIe 1)leased not I!imself." And what Christ di(l when lIc came on earth, that have all IIis saints d()ne both bcfore and since His comin.:Even the saints of thc Ohl Testamcnt so condueted thcmselvcs, fo whom a teml)oral l)romise was made, and who, if any, might have surrendercd themselves fo thc cnjoymcnt of if. They had a temporal promise, the' had a present reward; yet, with a noble faith, and a largencss of sonl (how they put us to shame who havc so much higher privilcgcs!) the Jewish believers g'rudged themselves the milk and honey of Canaan, as seeking a better country, that is a heavenly.:Elijah, how unlike is he to one who had a temporal promise! Or take again the instance of Daniel, which is still more striking,—" They that wear sort clothing are in kings' houses." Daniel was first in power in palace of the greatcst monarchs of his rime. Yet what do we read of him? First of his living upon pnlse and water, afterwards of his fasting in saekeloth and ashes, af another rime of his mourning three thll weeks, eating no pleasant bread, neither flesh nor wine coming in his mouth, nor anointing" himself af all, till those three weeks werc fulfilled. Can any thing" more clearly shov the duty of self-dcnial, even in lawful things, in the John iii. 16. - 2 Cor. viii. 9.

The lzt/.y of Sc[f-dcJziaL 93 case of Christians, when evcn God's servauts, before Chris came and commanded if, in proportion as they had evangelical gifts, observed if? Or again, consider the words of the tex spoken by David, who, if any, had riches and power poured upon him by the haud f God. I[e says, he has "bcaved and quieted" himself lcs he should l»e pnud, ad ruade himsclf "as a wcaned child." Vha:m impressive word is "weaned " David had pu away the um'eserved love and the use of lhis worhl. We utur:dlv love the worhl, and imocently; i is before us, and meets out eyes and hand firs; ifs pleasurcs are dear fo us, and many of them no in themselves sinful, ouly in their excess, and some of them no sinfid a ail;—those, for iastauce, which we derive ri'oto out home, out fi'iends, and out prospects, are the firs and natural fod of out miud. u as childreu are weaned ri'oto their firs nourishment» so mus out souls put away childish things, and be turned ri'oto the pleasures of earth fo those of heaven; we must learn to compose and quiet ourselves as a weaned child,  put up 'ith the loss of what is dear fo us, nay, voluntrily to give if up for Christ's se. Iuch more after Christ came does St. Paul give us this saine lesson in the ninth chaptcr of his first Epistle to the Corinthians: "Every one that striveth fi»r the mastery is temperate in ail things," i. e. has power over himself, and keeps himsclf in subjeetion, as he presently says. Again, iii the seventh ehapter, " The rime is short; it remaineth t.hat both they that have wives be as thoug'h fhey had none, and fhey that weep as though they wel)t hot, nnd they that rçjoice as though the" rejoiced not, and they that buy as thoug4 they possessed hot, and thev that use this w«>rld as hot abusing it." IIerc the sn.mc doctrinc of modcration or tcmperance in lawfil indulgcm.es is strongly cnforccd; to veep, fo rcjoice, fo buy, to possess, fo marry, fo use this world, arc hot unlawfil, yet we mus no use God's earthl3" gif'ts fo the fit]l, but in n]l tlings we must be selfdenying. Sueh is Christian selLdenial, and it is ineumbent upon us for many reasons. The Christian denies himself in things la.wful because he is aware of his own weakness and liability fo sin; he darcs hot walk on the edge of a precipice; instead of goin fo the extreme of what is allowable, he kecps af n. distance from evil, that he mav be safe. IIe abstains lest he should hot be temperate; he fasts lest he should ea.t and drin with the drunken. As is evident, many things are in themselves riht and unexceptionable whieh are inexpedient in the case of n weak and sinful ereature: his case is like that of a sicl¢ pcrson; many kinds of food, good for a man in health, arc hurtful when he is illwine is poison to a man in a tierce fever. And just so, many acts, thoughts, and feelings, whlch would bave been allowable in Adam before his fall, are prejudicial or dangerous in man fallen. For instance, anger is not sinfnl in itsclfi St. Paul implies this, whcn he says, "Be ve angry and sin not 1.,, And our Saviour on one occasion is said fo have been angry, and tic was sinless. Almighty God, too, is angry with the wicked. Angcr, then, is uot in itselt" a sinful feelinff; but in man, eonstituted as he is, if is so highly dangerous.to indulge if, that self-dental here is a duty from mere prudence. If is almost impossible for a man fo be angry only so far ns he ought fo be; ho will exeeed the right linit; his anger will degenerate into pride, sullenness, malice, eruelty, reveng, and liatred. If will inflalne his diseased soul, and poison if. Therefore, he must abstain froln it, as if it were in itse(f a sin (though it is not), for if is practieally such *o him. Again, the love of praise is in itself an innocent passion, and might be indulged, were the world's opinion rizht and our hearts sound; but, as things are, human applause, if listened to, will soon make us foget. how weak and sinfid we are; so we must deny ourselves, and aeeept the praise even of good men, and those we love, eautiously and with reserve. So, again, love of power is eommonly attendant on a great mind; but he is the greatest of a sinful race who refl'ains himself, and *urns from the temptation of if; for if is af once unbeeoming and dangerous in a son of Adam. "Whosoever will be great anmng you, let him be your minister," says our Lord; "and whosoever will be chier anaon you, let him be youi" servant. " His rewm'd will be hereafter; fo reign with Christ, fo sit down with I[im on IIis throne, fo judg'e angels,yet without pride. Ag'Hn, even in affeetion towards out relations and friends, we nmst l»c watehthl over ourseh-es, lest if seduee us ff-oto the path of duty. Mmy a fither, ff'oto a kind wish fo provide well f,r his fitmily, negleets his own soul. IIere, then, is a thult; no that we ean love our relations too well, but tlm that strong and mos praiscworthy affection fi»r lhcm may, accidentally, ensnare and eorrul)t our wcak nature. These eonsiderations wiI1 show us the mcanin of out Saviour's words alrcady eitcd, about the duty of hating out friends. To hate is fo feel that perfect [distaste for an objeet, that vou wish if put away and got rid of; if is fo turn away from if, and fo blot out the thouht of if t?om 3"out mind. Now this is just the feeling we must (.herish towards all earthly blessings, so far as Christ does hot cast His light upon them. He (blessed be His naine) has sanetioned and enjoincd love and tare for out relations and ti'iends. Sueh love is a great duty; bnt should af any rime His guidanee lead us by a strane way, and the lig'ht of His providence pass on, and east thesc objeets of our emhly affection into the shade, then they must bc af onee in the shade fo ««s,they must, g)r the rime, disappear ri'oto out hearts. " IIe that loveth fithor or moflor moto flmn le, is no worthy of BIe." 8o IIe snys; nnfl  sueh rimes, though still loviF them, we shall seem fo haie them; for wc shall put aside the thought of them, aud act as if they did not exist. And in this sensc au aucient and harsh proverb is truc: we must always so h»ve out fricnds as fceling that one day or other we may pcrchance Le called upon to hatc thenbthat is, forger thcm in thc pursuit of higher duties. Here, again, then, is an instauce of self-denial in lawflfl things; and if a. pcrso says it is painfifl thus fo feel, and that if chccks thc spontaneous and continual flow of love towards our fricnds fo have this memento sounding in our ears, we nmst boldly acknowledgc that if is painful. It is a sad thoug'ht, not that we can ever be called upon actually fo put away the love of them, but fo have fo act as if we did hot love them,as Abraham when called on fo slay his son. And this thought of the uncertainty of the future, doubtlcss, does tinge all our brightest affections (as fir as this world is concerned) with a grave and melancholy hue. We need hot shrink fi'om this confession, remembering that this life is hOt our rest or haplfiness;" la«tl rcmaineth" to corne. This sober chastiscd fccling is the very retaper of David, when he speaks of lmving composed and quieted his soul, and weaned if from the babe's nourishment which this world supplies. I hopc I bave ruade it clear, by these instances, what is lneant by Christian self-dental. If we have good healfh, and are in easy circumstances, let us beware of high-mindedness, self-sufficiency, self-conceit, arrogance; of delicacy of living, indulgences, luxuries, comfbrts. Nofhing is so likcly fo corrupt our hearts, and fo seduce us ri'oin God, as fo surround oursêlves with eomtbl'ts,—to have thins our own way,to be the eeutre of  sort of world, whether of things animate or inanimate, whi«h minister fo us. For then, in turn, we shall depend on them; they will beeome neeessary fo us; their very service aud adulation will lead us fo trust ourselves fo them, and fo idolize them. What examldes are there in Seripture of sort luxurious men! Vas it Abraham before the Law, who wandered throngh his days, without a home? or Ioses, who gave the Law» and died in the wihlerness? or David under the Law, who "had no proud looks," and was "as a weaned ehihl?" or the Prophets, in the latter days of the Law, Mo wandered in sheep-skius and goat-skins? or the ]daptist, when the Gospel was superseding if, who n'as elad in raiment of eamel's hair, and are the food of the vilderness? or the Apostles, who were « the offseouring of all things"? or our blessed Saviour, who " had hot a place to lay His head"? ho are the soft luxurious men in 8eripture? There was the rieh man, who "fired sumptuously every day," and then " lifted up his eyes in hell, being in torments." There was tha other, whose «ground brought forth plentifully," and who said, "Soul, thou hast ranch goods laid up for many years;" and his soul was required of him that night. There was Demas, who forsook St. Paul, "' lmving loved this present world." And, alas! there was t.hat highly-fvoured, that divinely-inspired king, rich and wise Solomon, whom it a.vailed nothing" fo lmve measured the earth, and numbered ifs inhabitants, when in his old age he "loved many strange women," and worshipped their gods. Far be it ri'oto us, soldiers of Christ, thus fo perplex ourselves with this wofld, who are maldng our way towards the world fo corne. "No man that warreth, entangleth himself with the affairs of this lit, that he may please Him who hath choseu him o bca soldier. If a man also stïive for masteries, yet is he hot erowned, exeept he strive lawfidly." This is St. Paul's rule, as has already been referred fo: aceordiugly, in another place, he bears witness of himself that he "died daily." Day by day he got more and more dead fo this world; he had fewer ties to earth, a larger treasure in heaven. Nor let us think that if is over-diffieult fo imitate him, though we be hot Apostles, nor are ealled fo any extraordinary work, nor are enriehed with any miraeulous gifts: he would have all men like himself, and all may be like him, aeeording fo their place and measure of graee. If we would be followers of the great Apostle, first let us with him fix our eyes upon Christ out Saviour; consider the splendour and glo T of His holiness, and t.ry to love if.:Let ns strive and pray that the love of holiness may be el'eated within our hcarts; and then acts will follow, such as befit us and our circumstances, in due rime, without out distressing ourselvcs fo find what they should he. You need hot attelnpt to draw any precise line between what is sint'ul and what is only allowable: look np to Christ, and deny yourselves every thing', whatever ifs eharaetcr, which you think l[e would have you relin«luish. You nced hot calculate and measure, if you love nmch: 3"ou need hot perplex yoursclves with points of curiosity, if you have a heart fo venture after Itim. True, difficulties will sometimes arise, but they will be seldom. Itc bids you take up your cross; therefore accept thc daily opportunities which occur of yielding fo others, 'hen you need hot:)'ield, and of doing" unpleasant services, which you might avoid. Ite bids those who would be hig'hest, lire as the lowest: therefore, turn from ambitious thoughts, and (as far as you religiously may) make resolves against taking" on you aathority and rule. IIe bids you sell and give altos; therefol'e, hate fo spend money on yourself. Shut your ears to lraise, when if" grows loud: set your face like a flint, when the world ridiculcs, and smile af ifs threats. Learn fo master your heart, when it would burst forth into vehcmence, or prolong- a barren sorrow, or dissolve into unscasonable tenderness. Curb your tongue, and turn away your eye, lest you fall into temptation. Avoid the dangerous air which relaxes you, and brace yourself upon the heights. ]3e up at prayer "a great wlfile before day," and seek thc truc, your only Bridcgroom, "'by night on your bcd." So sha]l seli°-dcnial become natural fo you, and. change comc over 3"ou, gcntly and imperceptibly; and, like Jacob, you will lie down in the waste, and will soon sec Ang'cls, and a way opened for 3fou into hcaven.