Parochial and Plain Sermons

HESE words, which are talen from the chapter which 3"ou heard read just nov in the course of the Service , dcclarc the vfctory which David, the man after God's own heart, gained over Goliath, who came out of the army of the Philistines fo defy the Living God; and thcy declare the mannêr of his gaining it. He ga.ined it with a sling and with a stone; that is, by means, which fo man might seem weak and ]mpeless, but which God Ahnighty blessed and prospered. Let no one think he history of David's calling, and his victory over Goliath, of little importance to himself; it is indeed interesing to read for its own sake; it raises the mind of the Christian to God, sho's us His power, and reminds us of the wonderful deliverances with whieh He visits His Church in every age; but besides all this, this history is useful fo us Christians,  Fifth Sunday after Trinity.

The Call of Z)«vh{. 49 as seting" belote us out own ealling, and out eonfliet with the world, the flesh, and the devil; as sueh I shall' nov briefly eonsider it. David, the son of a man in humble lit'e, and the youngest of his brethren, was ehosen by A]mighty God fo be His speeial servant,—to be a prophet, a king, a psalmist; he was anointed by Samuel to be all this; • 'md in due time he was brouht forwa.rd by Almig'hty God, and as a. first ae of might, slew the hethen giant Goliath, as deseribed in the text. Now let us apply all this to ourselves. 1. David vas the son of a Bethlehemite, one among the families of Isracl, with nothing apparently fo recoinmend him to God; the youngest of his brethren, and despised by them. He was sent to feed the sheep; and his father, though doubtless he loved him dearly, yet seems to have thought little of him. For when Sanmel came to Jesse at God's command, in order to choose one of his sons fi'om the rest as God might direct him, Jesse did hot bring David before him, though he did bring all his other children. Tlms David seemed born to live and die among his sheep. His brothers were allowed to engage in occupations which the world thinks higher and more noble. Three of them served as soldiers in the king's army, and in consequence looked down upon David; on his asking about Goliath, one of them said to him in contempt, " Wit.h whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness?" Yet God took [VIII]  him from the sheepfolds to make him His servant and His friend. Now this is fulfilled in the case of all Christians. They are by nature poor, and mean, and nothing worth; but God chooses them, and brings them near unto Himself. He looks not af outward things; Hc chooses and decrees according to IIis will, and why He ehooses hese men, and passes over hose, we know hot. In this country many ara ehosen, many are not; and why some are chosen, others not, we eanhot tcll. Solne mcn are born within the bounds of holy Church, and are bnptized with her baptism; oflmrs are hot evcn baptized af all. Some are born of bad parents, irreligious pa.rents, and ha.ve no education, or a bad one. Ve, on the contrary, my brethren, are born in the Church; we have been baptized by the Church's ministers; and why this is our blessedness, and not the blessedness of others, we cannot tell. Here we differ from David. He was chosen above his brethren, because he was betMr than they. If is expressly said, that when Samuel was goin to choose one of his elder brethren, God said to him, "I have refused him; tbr the Lord sth hot as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward al»pearance, but the Lord looketh on the heartl; '' implying, that David's heart was in a better staM than his brotlmr's whom Samuel would bave chosen. But this is hot our case; we are in nowise bctter by nature thaa they whom God does hot choose.  1 Sain. xvi. 7.

You will find good and worfly men, benevolent, charitable, uprig'ht men, among those who have never been baptized. God hath chosen all of us fo salvation, no for out rig'hteousness, bu for His grea mercies. He has brough us fo worship Him in sacred places where His saints have worshipped for mauy hundred years. He has given us the aid of His ministers, and His Sacramens, and His Holy Scriptures, and the Ancien Creed. To ohers, Scripture is a seoElcd book, thoug'h they hold i in their hands; bu to us if is in good rneasure an open book, t.hrouh God's mercy, if we bu use out advantag'es, if we bave bu spiritual eyes and ears, fo read and hear i faithfully. To others, the Sacraments and other rites are bu dead ordinances, carnal ceremonies, which profit no, like those of the Jewish Law, outward forms, beg-garly elements, as they themselves ofteu confess; bu fo us, if we bave faith, hey are full of grace and power. Thus all we have beeu chosen by God's g'race uno salvation, in a special way, in which many ohers arouud us bave no been choseu, as Goal passed over ]ï)avid's seven brethren, and chose him. g. Observe, too, God chose him, whose occupation was ha of a shcpherd; for He chooses no the g'rea men of the wodd. tte passes by the rich and noble; He chooses "the poor, rich in faith, and heirs of the king'dom which He bath pmmised fo them tha love Him, '' as S. James says. David was a shepherd. I James il. 5.

5 z The Call of l)«z,ht. The Angel appeared to the shepherds as they kept waeh over their sheep af night. The most solitary, the most unlearned, God hears, God looks upon, God visits, God blesses, God brings fo glory, if he is but "rich in fifith." Many of you are hot great in this world, my brethrcn, m;my of you are poor; but flae greatest king upon eaoEh, even Solomon in all lais glory, might well exchang'e places with you, if you are God's children; fi, r thon you are greater than the greatest of kings. Our Saviour said, that even the lilies of the field were more g'loriously arrayed than Solomon; for the lily is a living thing, the work of God; and all the glories of  king, his purple robe, and his jevelled crown, all this is but the dead work of man; and the lowest and hmnblest work of God is far better and more glorious flan the highest work of man. But if this be true, even of God's lower works, what slmll be said of IIis higher? If even ¢le lilies of le field, which are eut down and cast ino the oven, are more glorious than this world's greaest glory, what shall be said of God's nobler works in he soul of mau? what shall be said of le dispensation of he Spirit which "exceeds in glory?" of that new creation of he soul, whereby He makes us His children, who by birth wêre children of Adam, and slaves of the dcvil, gives us a new and hea.venly nature, implants His Holy Spirit within us, and xvashes away all our sins? This is the portion of he Christian, high or low; and all glories of this vodd fade away before it; king and suldect, man of wa.r and keepcr of sheep, are ail on a level in the kingdom of Christ; t%r they one and ail receive those tqr exceediu," and eterual blessings, which make this world's distinctions, though they remaiu distinctions just as befi»re, yet so little, so unimportaut, in comparison of the "g'lory that excclleth," tlmt if is hot worth while thinkin. al»out them. One persou is a kin," and rules, anothcr is  suhject and obcys; but if both are Christiaus, both have in commou, gift. so great, tlmt in the sight of if, the ditTerence betwccn ruliug" and obeying is as nothin. Ail Christians are king's in God's sight; they are kiugs in Ilis unsee kingdom, in His spiritual world, in the Commuuion of Saints. They seem like other men, but ther have crowns on their heads, and glorious robes m'ound them, aud Angels fo wait on them, thoug'h our bodily eyes sec if hot.. Such are all Christians, high and low; all Christians who remaiu in that state in which It.»ly Baptism placed them. Baptism placed you in this blessed state. God did uot wait till vou should do some good thing belote He blessed you. No! IIe knew 3-ou could do no good thing of yourselves. So He came to you first; He loved you before you loved Him; He gave you a work which IIe first ruade you able to do. He placed yo in a new and hevenly state, in which, while you remain, you are sale. He sid hot to you, "Obey Me» and I will give you a kingdom;" but "Lo

I give you a kingdom ffeely and first of ail; now obey Ie benceforth, for you tan, and you shall remain in it;" hot "Obey Me, and I will then give you the tIoly Spirit as a rcwa.rd;" but « I give you that great gift in order that you may obey Me." IIe first gives, and then commands; Ho tclls us fo obey IIim, hot to gain His fhvour, but in order hot fo lose if. We are by nature diseascd and helplcss. We cannot plcase IIim; we cannot move hand or foot  He says hot fo us, " Get well first, and I will reeeive you;" but tic begins a cure in us, and receives us, and then says, « Take care hot to go back; take care of yoursclves; beware of a relapse; keep out of danger." Such then is your state, my brethren, nnless you have fallen fi'om Christ. If vou are living in IIis faith and fear, 3-ou are kings— king's in God's unseen and spiritual kingdom; and that, though like David, you are but keeping sheep, or drivin eattle, o; again, working with your hands, or serving in a family, or af any other lowly labour. God seeth hot as man seeth, He hath ehosen you. 3. Next, observe God chose David by means of the Prophet Samuel. He did hot think if enough to ehoose him silently, but IIe called him by a voiee. And, in like manner, when God ealls us, He does so openly; He sent His minister, the Prophet Samuel, go David, and Ite sends His ministers fo us. He said to Samuel, "Fill thy horn with oil, and go, and I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite; for I bave provided:Me a king" among lais sons." God was looking out for a king, and sent Samuel to David. And so, in like manner, God is looking out now for king's to fill thrones in His Son's eterna.1 kiugdom, and to sit at ltis right hand and His lcft; and IIe sends His ministers fo those whom He bath from eternity chosen, tle does hot say fo thcm, "Fill thy horn with oil," but " Fill thy font with water;" for as tic chose D:wid by pouring oil upon his llead, so does IIe choose us bv Baptism. So far, then, God chooses now as lit did then, bv an outward sign. Samuel was told fo do then, what Christ's ministers are told to do now. The oue chose David Ly means of oil, and the othcr choose Christians hy lneans of water. In this, however, there is a difference. Samuel could choose but, one. He was hot allowed fo choose more than one; him, namely, whom God pointed out; but uow Christ's ministers (blessed be His naine!) may choose and baptize ail whom they meet with; there is no test.fiction, no narrowness; they need hot wait to be told whom fo choose. Christ says, "Compel them to corne in." Again, the Prophet says, " Ho, every one that thirsteth, corne ye to the waters.', 1Vow every one by nature thirsteth; every soul born into the world is in a spiritual sickness, in a wasting lever of mind; he has no rest, no ease, no peace, no true happiness. Till he is ruade partaker of Christ he is hopeless and miserable. Christ then, in His mercy, havhag" died for all, gives His ministers leave to apply

56 Th Call of Da,id. Itis saving death to ail whom t.hey can find. Not one or two, but thousands upon thousands are gifted with ttis high blessinffs. " Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed" David "in the midst of lais brethren." And so Christ's ministers take water, and baptize; yet hot merely one out of a. family, but:111; for God's merciês are poured as wide as the sun's lig-ht in the hêavens, they enlighten all they fidl Ul,on. 1.. When Samel lmd:mointed David, observe what followed. "Sanmel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethrén; and the Spirit of the Lord e,me upon David ri'oto that dav fiww.rd." And so, also, when Christ's ministers bptize, the Spirit of the Lord cornes upon the ehild bptized heneeforth; nay, dwells in him, for the Christian's g'ift is fir greater even than David's. God's Spirit did but eome upon David, and visit him ri'oto time to rime; but He voueh-.cales to dwell within the Christian, so as fo make his heart and body His temple. Now what was there in the oil, whieh Samuel used, fo produee so great an effeet? nothing at all. Oi[ has no power in itself; but Goal gave it a power. In like nmnner the Prophet Elisha told Naammx the Syrian to bathe in Jordan, and so he was healed of his leprosy. Naaman said, What is Jordm more than other rivers? how ean Jordan heal? It eould hot heal, except that God's power ruade it heal. Did hot our Saviour feed rive thousand persons with a few loaves and fishes? how could that be? by His power, tIow eould water beeome 'ine? by His power. And so now, tlmt saine Divine power, which ruade water wine, nmltil)lied the bread, gave water power fo heal an incurable disease, and ruade oil the means of giftin David with the Holy Spirit, that. power now also makes the water of Baptism a means of raee and gory. The water is like other water; we sec no différence by the eve; we use if, we throw it away; but (o(1 is vith it. God is with it, as with the oil whieh Samuel toolç with him. Vater is somethil, more thnn water in ifs etTects in the hand of Christ's Ministèr, with the words of gaee; it does, what by mture if eannot do; if is hèavènly vater, hot earthly. 5. Further, I would bave you observe this. Though David reeeived the ift of God's Holy Spirit, yet nothingcame of if all af once. He still seemed like anv other man. He went baek to the sheep. Then Saul sent for him fo play fo him on the harp; and then he went back fo the sheep agin. Exeept that he had strength gven him to kill a. lion and a bear whieh came against his floek, he did no g'reat thing. The Spirit o|' the:Lord had eome upon him, yet if did hot af once make him a prophet or a king. All was fo eome in ood rime, hot af once. So if is with Christian Baptism. Nothing shows, for some time, that the Spirit of God is eome into, and dwells in the ehild baptized; it looks like any other ehild, if is pained, it frets, is weak, is wayv«ard, like any other ehild; for

5 8 The Call of David. "the Lord seeth no as man seeth; for man looketh at the outward appearanee, but the Lord looketh on the heart." _A_nd " He who seeth the heart,'" seeth in the ehild the presenee of the Spirit, "the mind of the Spirit" "whieh maketh intercession for the Saints." Goal the Holy Ghost leads on the helrs of raee marvellously. You reeolleet when out Saviour was baptized, "immediately the Spirit of God led IIim into the wilderness." Yhat happened one way in our Saviour's course, happens in ours also. Sooner or later that work of God is manifested, which was at first secret. David went up to see his brothers, who wcre in the battle; he had no idea that he was going to fight the giant G oliath; and so it is no% children are baptized before they lnow what is to happen to flmm. They sport and play as if there was no sorrow in the world, and no lfigh destinies upon themselves; they are heirs of the kingdom without knowing it; but God is xvith those whom He has chosen, and in His own rime and way He fashions His Saints for His everlasting kingdom: in His own perfect and adorable counsels Ho brings them forward to fight with Goliath. 6. And nov, let us inquire who is our Goliath? who is it we bave fo contend with? The answer is plain; the devil is our Goliath: we bave to fight Satan, who is far more fearfnl and powerful than ten thousand giants, and who would to a certainty destroy us were hot God with us; but praised be His Naine, tte is

The Call of i)avid. 59 with us. "Greater is Ho t.hat, is with us, than he that is in the world." David was first, anoint.ed with God's Holy Spirit, and then, after a while, brought forward fo fig'ht. Goliath. We too are iïrst baptized, and then broght, forward fo iïght the devil. We are hot. brought to fig'ht, him af. once; for some years we are almost without a fight, when we are inthnts. By degrees out work cornes upon us; as ehildren we have t.o iïg'ht with hiln a little; as t.ime goes on, the iïght, opens; and af length we bave out great enemy marehing" against us with sword and sIear, as Goliath came ag'ainst David. And when this war bas once begun, if lasts throagh life. 7. What then oght you fo do, my brethren, when t.hus assailed.9 tIow must you behave when t.he devil cornes against you? he has many ways of at.taek; sometimes he cornes openly, sometimes eraft.ily, sometimes he tempts you, sometimes he fl'ightens yo% but whether he cornes in a pleasing or a frightful form, be sure, if you saw him himself with your eyes, he would always be hatefnl, monstrous, and abominable. Therefore he keeps himself out of sight.. But be sure he is all t.his; and, as believing if, take the whole armour of God, that. you may be able fo stand in flae evil day, and having done all, fo stand. Quit you like men, be strong. Be like David, vel T eourageous fo do God's will. Think what. would have happened had David played the eoward, and refused to obey God's inward voiee stlrring him up to fight

| 60 Te Call af A3«vid. Goliath. IIe would bave lost his eallin, he would bave leen tried, alll] hnve failed. The PropheL's oil would hnve profited him noLhing , or rather would have inereased his eomlemnation. The Spiri ot  God would bave departed from him as He departed fi'om 8aul, who also had been anointed. 8o, also, our privileges will but increase our future punishment, unlcss wc use them. 1le is truly and rc:tl]y born of God in whom the Divine seed tales roof; others are re'enerated fo their condemnati(,n. Dcspise hot the gift that is in you: dcspise hot the blessing which by God's free grace vou bave,:md others havc hot. Therc is nothing fo bonst in, that vou arc God's people; rather the ihought is an anxious t,ne; you have much more to answer for. When, then, Satan comes against you, recollect 3-ou:ire already dedicated, made over, to God; you are God's propeoEy, you bave no part with Safari and his works, 3"ou a.re servants fo another, you are espoused to Christ. Vhen Satan cornes agai,ls 3-ou, fear hot, waver not; but pray to God, and He will help you. Say to Satan with David, "Thou comest against me with a sword, and with a spea.r, and with a shield; but I corne fo thee in the naine of the Lord of Hosts." Thou comest to me with temptation; thou wouldest allure me with the pleasures of sin for a season; thou wouldest kill me, nay, thou wouldest ma.ke me kill myself with sinful thoughts, woMs, and deeds; thou wouldest male me a self-murderer, tempting me by evil companions, and light conversation, and pleasant sights, and strong stirrings of heart; thou wouldest make me profane the Lord's day by riot; thou wouldest kee 1) me ri'oto Chureh; thou wouldest make my thoughts rove when hey should hot; thou wouldest teml)t me to drink, and to eurse, and fo swear, and fo jest, and fo lie, and fo steal: but I know thee; thou art Satan, and I eomc unto thee in the naine of the Living God, in the Naine of Jesus Christ my Saviour. That is a powerful naine, which ean put to flight many foes: Jcsus is a naine at which devils tremble. To speak if, is to scare away many a bad thoug'ht. I corne against thee in Ilis Allpowerflfl, All-eonquering Naine. David came on with  staff; my staff is the Cross—the Iloly Cross on whieh Christ suffered, in whieh I glory, whieh is my salvation. David chose tire smooth stones out of the brook, and vith them he smote the giant. We, too, have armour, hOt of this world, but of God; weapons which the world despises, buç whieh are powerfifl in God. David took not sword, spear, or shield; but he slew Goliath with a sling and  stone. Out weapons are as simple, as powerful. The Lord's Prayer is one sueh weapon; when we are telnpted to sin, let us turn away, kneel down seriously and solelnnly, and say to God that prayer whieh the Lord taught us. The Creed is anothêr weapon, equally powerful, through God's graee, equally eontemptible in the eyes ot  the world. One or two holy texts, sueh as out Saviour used when He was tempted by thc devil, is another weapon for our need. The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is another such, and greater; holy, mysterious, life-giving, but equally simple. What is so sinple as a little bread and a litle wine? but, in the hands of the Spirit of God, it is the power of God unto salvation. God grant us grace fo use the arms which IIe gives us; hot fo neglcct them, hot fo take, arms of our own! God grant us to use His arms, and fo conquer!