SERMON VI.
"And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this peoTle provoke Me? and how long will it be ere they believe 3le, for all the Mns which I bave showed amon them?"
OTHING, I suppose, is more surprising to us at first reading, than the history of God's chosen people; n,y, on second and third readin, and on every reading, till we learn to view if as God views if. It seems stra.ne, indeed, to most persons, that the Israelites should bave acted as they did, age after age, in spite of the miracles which were vouchsafed fo them. The laws of nature were SUSl)ended again and again before their eyes; the most marvellous signs were wrought at the word of God's prophets, and for their deliverance; yet they did hot obey their great Benefactor a.t all better than men now-a-days who bave not these advanrages, as we commonly consider them. Ae after age God visited them by Angels, by inspired messengers; age after age they sinned. Af last He sent His well-
[iracles zo le»tcdy for Uzbelief. 77 beloved Son; and He wroug'ht miracles belote them ztill more abundant, wonderful, and benefieent tlmn any belote llim. What was the eftet upon them of Ilis eoming? St.. John tells us, "Ehen g'athered the Chier Priests and the Pharisees a eouneil, and said, What do we? for this Man doeth many miracles..... Ehen ri'oto tlmt day forth they took eounsel tog'ether tbr put Itim to death .'" In marrer of flet, then, whatever be the roason, uothing" is gained by miracles, nothing" cornes of miracles, as reg'ards out relig'ious views, prineiple, and habits. Hard as if is fo believe, miracles eertainly do hot make men ber.ter; the history of Israel proves if. And the only mode of eseaping- this conclusion, to whieh some persons fcel a great repugnance, is fo fancy that the Israelites were much worse than other nations, which according'ly bas been maintained. It bas often been said, that they were stiff-necked and hard-hearted beyond the rest of the world. Now, even supposing, for argument's sake, I should grant that they were so, this would hOt suflàciently account for the sh-ang-e circumstance under consideration; for this people was not moved af all. If is nota question of more or less: surely they must bave been altogether distinct from other men, destitute of the feelings and opinions of other men, nay, hardly partakers of human nature, if other men would, as a marrer of course, bave been moved by those John xi. 47. 58.
miracles vlicl h,d no influence whatever upon them. That there are, indeed, men in tbe world who would lave been moved, and wofld have obeyed in consequence, I do not dcny; such were to be round among ihe Israelites also; but I tm spealing of men in general; and I say, that if tle Israclites lad a common nature witb us, surely that insensibility -hich tbcy exhibited on tbe 'bole, must be jtst wlmt we shotld exbibit on the -liole undcr the saine circumstances. It confirms tbis vicw of the subject fo observe, that tbe children of Israel «re like other men in all points of their conduct, save this insensibility, which other men have hot bad the opportunity fo show as they had. There is no diffcrence between theiç conduct and ours in point off«ct; the differece is entirely in tbe external discipline to which God subjected them. Whether or hot rairacles otlght fo lave ilfluenced them in a i which God's dealigs in Providence do hot infl,ence us, so ftr is clear, that looling into their modes of living and of thotght, we fiud a natm'e just like our own, hot better indced, but in no respect worse. Those evil tempers which the people displyed in the desert, tbeir greediness, selfishness, murmuring', caprice, wayw,rdness, ficlleness, ingratitude, je,lousy, suspiciousnes, obstinacy, unbelief, all these are seet in tle uneducated multitude now-a-days, according to its opportunity of displaying them. Tle pride of Dathan and the presumption of Korah:re still instanced in oui" higher ranks and among edu- cated persons. Saul, Ahithophel, Joab, and Absalom, have had their parallels all over the world. I say there is nothing unlike thc rest of lnan|dnd in the character Ç»r conduct of thc chosen people; the difference solely is in G(«l's dealinzs with them. They act as other men; it is their religion which is hot as othcr men; it is miraculous; and the questian is, how it cornes to pass, their religion being diffcrent, their conduct is thc saine? and there are two ways of answcrin it; eithcr by sayinR" that they were worse than other mon, and were hot influenced by miracles when others would have been iuttueuced (as many persons are al)t to think), or (what I conceive to be the truc reason) that, after all, the difference between miracle and no miracle is not so great in any case, in the case of any people, as to secure the success or accourir for the failure of relig'ious truth. It was hot that the Israelites were much more hard-hearted than other people, but that a miraculous religion is hot much more influential than other religions. For I repeat, thoug'h it be granted that the Israelites were ranch worse tha.n others, still that will hot accourir for the iact that miracles marie no impression whatever upon them. However sensual and obstinate they may be supposed to have been in natural character, yet if it be truc that a miracle has a necessary effect upon the human miad, it must be considered to have had some effect on their conduct for good or bad; if it had hot a good effect, af least it must have had a bad;
whereas their miracles left them very much the same in outwn.rd appearance as men are now-a-days, who neg'leet such warning, s as are now sent fhem, neither much more lawless and corrupt tlmn they, nor the reverse. OEhe point is, tlmt while they were so hardened, as if appears to us, in their conduct towards their Lord and Goretnor, they were hot much worse than other men in social lire and persoual bëhaviour. If is a rule that if meu are extrav:lnntly irrelig'ious, profime, blasphemous, infidel, hey a.re equnlly excessive and monstrous in other resl)ects; wbcrens the Jews wcre like the Eastern nations around them, with this one peculiarity, tlm tley hnd rejected direct and clear miracalous cvidence, and the others had no. If seems, then, I sny, fo follow, that, guilty as were the 3ews in disobeying" Almig'hty God, and blind as they beeame fi'om shutting their eyes to the light, they were hot much more guilty than others may be in disobeying Him; that it is almost as great a sin fo reject His service in the case of those who do hot see miracles, as in the case of those who do; that the sig'ht of miracles is hot the way in which meu corne to believe and obey, nor the absence of them an excuse for hot belit-ving and obeying. Now let me say something in explanation of this, at tirst sight, startling truth, that miracles on the whole vould hot make men in general more obedient or holy lhan they are, though they were genera.lly displayed. It has sometimes been said by unbelievers, "If the
Gospel were written on the Sun, I would believe it." Unbelievers have said si by way of excusing themselves for hot believing it, as it actudly cornes to thcm; and I date say some of us, my brethren, bave before now uttered the same sentiment in our healoES, either in moments of temptation, or when under the upbraidings «,f conscience for sin committed. Now let us consider, why do we think so? I ask, why should file sight of a miracle make you better than you are? Do you doubt at all the being and power of God? No. Do you doubt what you ought to do? No. Do you doubt af all that the tain, for instance, and sunshine, corne from Him? or that the fresh life of each year, as if comes, is IIis work, and that all nature bursts into beauty and richness at His bidding? Yon do hot doubt it at all. Nor do you doubt, on the other hand, that itis your duty to obey Him who made the world and who made you. And yet, with the knowledge of all this, yiu find yiu cannot prevail upon yonrse|ves to do what you know you should do. Knowledge is hot what you want to make you obedient. You bave knowledge enough already. Now wlm.t truth would a miracle convey to you which yÇu dÇ hot learn ri'oto the works of God around you? What would it teach you concerning God which you do not.already believe without having seea it?:But, you will say, a miracle would startle you; true: but would not the startling" pass away? could you be [,]
startled for ever? And what sort of a religion is that which consists in a state of fright and disturbance? Are yott net continually startled by the accidenfs of lire? You sec, you hear flfings suddenl35 which brinff belote yonr mînds the floughs of God and judgment; calamities hefa.ll you which for fle ime sober you. ' Startling" is no conversion, any more fhan knowledge is practiee. ]u you mçge, that perhaps fl)a startling might issue in amendment of liFe; that it might be the beginnin.f a new course, thongh it passed away itself; that a miracle would hot indeed eonvert you, but if would.be the-first sp towards thorough conversion; that it wouhl be the turning poiut in your litb, and would sud-.denly force your path into the right direction, and that in this way shoeks and startlings, and ail the agitation of fle passions aud aflbetions, are really the means of conversion, though conversion be something more than they. This is very truc: sudden emotions—fear, hope, gratitude, and flac like, ail do produee sueh effeets somerimes; but why is a miracle neeessary fo produee sueh effeets? Ofler thiugs startle ris besides miracles: we bave a number of accidents sent us by. God fo start]e us. He bas hot left us without warnings, though bas not given ns miracles; and if we are not moved and eonverted by those whieh eome upon us, t.he probability is, that, like the Jews, we should hot be eonverted bv miracles.
Yes, you say; but if one came ri'oto the dead, if you saw the spirit of some dcparted fi'iend you knew on carth: what thon? What would if tell you that you do not know now? Do you now in your sober reason doubt the reality of the unseen world? not af all; onlv you calmot g'et yourself fo act as if it were real. Wouhl such a sight produce this effect? you think it would. Now I will g'rant this on one supposition. Do thé, startlin' accidents which happen to you now, produce a»j lasting eflbct upon 3"ou? Dt, they lead you to any habits of religion? If they do produce some effect, then I vill grant fo you that sueh a stran.e visitation, as 3"ou have supposed, would produce gïeater effect; but, if the events of lire whieh now happen to you produce no lasting, effect on you, and this I fear is the case, then too sure I ara, that a miracle too would produce no la- ing' effect on you, thoug'h of course it wotàd startle you more at the time. I s7, I fear that what happens to you, as it is, produees no ]asting effcct on you. I mean, tlmt the warnin8's whieh you really bave, do not bring" you to any habitual and regu]ar religiousness; they mav make you a litt]e more afi'aid of this or that sin, or of this or that particular indulgence of if; but they do hot' tend at all to make you break with the world, and convert you fo God. If they did make you take up religion in earnest, thous'h in ever so poor a way, then I will g'rant that miracles would make you more in earnest. If God's ordbmry warnin. moved you, His extra.-
84.irac[es w 2ïcuccly for ordina U would move you more. It is quite true, that a serious mind would be ruade more serious by seeing" a miracle, but this g'ives no g'round for sayin, that minds whieh are wt sefious, eareless, vorldly, self-indulg'ent persons, vho are ruade not at all better by the varning's vhich are given them, would be ruade serious by those lniraculous waruings which are hot given. Of course if might so happen in this or that particular case,—just as the saine person is moved by one warning, hot by another; not moved by a warning to-day, moved by a warning, to-morrow; but I ana sure, taking men as we fiud them, miracles would leave them, as fir as their conduct is concerned, very much as they are. They would be very much startled and impressed af tirst, but the impression would wear away. And thus our Saviour's words would corne true of ail those multirudes who bave the Bible to read, and know what they ought to do, but do if hOt:—" If they hear not Moses and the Prophets," He says, "neither will tley be persuaded though one rose ri'oto the dead." Do we never recollect rimes when we have said, "Vc shall never forger this; if will be a warning all tkrough our lives"? have we never implored God's forgiveness with the most eager promises of amendment? have we never fclt as if we vere brought quite into a new world, in gratitude mad joy? Yet was the result what we had expected? V(e cannot anticipate more fi-om miracles, than before nov we have anticipated from warnings, which came fo nought.
And now, what is the real reason whv wc do hot seel God with all out he,rts, and devotc ourselves fo lIis service, if the,bsenee of miracles be hot the reason., as most assuredly if is hOt? Vllat was if that ma(le the Israelites disobedient, who ««l miracles? St. Paul informs us, and exhorts ts in consequcnce. " ILtrdcn not)'our hearts, as in the provocatiou, in the day of teml)tation in the wilderncss... take heed... lest there be in any of ott" (as there was among the Jcws) " an evi] heart of unbelicf in dcparting ff'oto the Living God." h[oses had been eommissioned fo say the same thing at the very time "Oh that therc were sueh a heart in them, that they would fear Me, and keep My Commandments hhvays!" We cannot serve God, because we want the will and the heart fo serve IIim. Ve like any thing better than religion, as the Jews belote us. The Jews liked this world; they liked mirth and feasting. "The i)eople sat down fo eat and fo drink, and rose up fo play;" so do we. They liked glitter and show, and the world's fashions. "Give us a king like the nations," they said fo Samuel; so do we. They wished fo be let alone; they liked ease; they liked their own way; they disliked fo make war against the natural impu]ses and leanings of their own minds; thev disliked fo attend fo the state of their sou]s, fo have fo treat themselves as spiritua]ly sick and infirm, fo watch, and rule, and chasten, and refl'ain, and change themselves; and so do we. They disliked to think of God,
86 3iraclcs lemedy for UstSclief. and fo observe and attend His ordin,qnees, and 4o reverenee Him; they ealled if a weariness 4o frequent courts; and they round this or that f:lse worship more pleasnnt, s,tisftetory, eonenial fo [heir feelins, [han he service of the Judge of quiek,qnd de.qd; and so do we: a.nd therefore we disobey God as they did,—not that we have no miracles; fi»r [hey aetually had them, and if ruade no diflérenee. We a.e as they did, houh they had miracles, and we have not.; beeause there is,»ne cause of if eommon both fo them and us—hearlessness in relig, ious ma.ters, an evil hear of unbelief; both they:md we disobey and disbelieve, beeause we do no love. But his is no all; in,qnother respee we are reallv far more favoured t.han they were; they had outward miracles; we too have miracles, bu they are hot «»utward but inward. Ours are no miracles of evidenee, bu of power and influence. They are secret,:md more wondêrful an(l effieaeions beeause secret. 'l'heir miracles were xvroug'ht upon ex[ernal nature; he sun stoo(l sill, and the sea parted. Ours are invisible, and are exereised upon the soul. They eonsis in the sera.ments, and they jus do t.hat very thin whieh the Jewish miracles did hot. They really toueh the hear, thouh we so often resist their intluenee. f then we sin, as, alas! we do, if we do no love God more than the 3ews did, if we ha.ve no heart for t.hose "good thing whieh pass men's understanding," we are no more exeusable than they, but less so. For the supernatural vorks which God showed to them were wrought outwtrdly, hot inwa.rdly, and did hot influence the will; they did but convcy warnings; lut the supernatural works which tIe does towards us «,re in the heart, and impart grace; and if we disobey, we are hot disobeying His comlnand only, but resisting IIis presence. This is our statc; and pcrhal»S so if is that, as tbe Israelites for fi»rty years hardencd their hearts in the wilderness, in spite of the manna and the (luails, md the water fi'om the rock, so we for a course of years have lcen hardening ours in spire of thc spiritual gifts which are the portion of Christians. Instead of listening" fo the voice of conscience, instcad of awfiling 2ursclves of the aid of heaven]y grace, we bave g'one on year after.vear with the vain dream of turning fo God some future day. Childhood and boyhood are past; youth, loerhaps middlc age, perhaps old age is comc; and now we find that we cannot "love the thing which God colnmandcth, and desire that which He doth promise;".nd then, instead of laying" the blame where it is due, on ourselves, for having" hardened ourselves against the influences of grace, we colnplain that enoug'h has hot been doue for us; we complain we bave not enough light,, enough help, enoug'h inducements; we complain we bave hot seen miracles. Alas! how exaetly are God's words fulfilled in us, whieh He deigned to speak fo His former people. "0 inhabitants of Jerusalem,
8 8 Iiracles zo temedy for Uzhelicf. and men of Jud,qh, j udg'e, I pry you, betwixt le and My vineyard. Wha eould bave been done more fo vneyard tha I bave no done in i? wherefore, when I lked ha i should bring forth grapes, brought if lbrh wild pes' " Le us t.hen pu side win excuses; and, instead of lookingfor ouward events to change out course of ]itb, be sure of this, la if out course of lire is o be ehnged, i mus be ri'oto wiflfin. God's graee moves us ri-oto within, so ds ouv own will. Exernal eireumsanees bave no real pover over us. I" we do no love God, i is beeause we have no wished fo love Him, tried to love Him, prayed to love Him. We have not borne the idea and the wish in our mind day by day, we bave hot had it befere us in the little matters of the day, xve have hot lamented that xve loved Him hot, we bave been too indolent, sluggish, earnal, o atmpt love Him in little things, and begin at the beginning we have brunk from the effort of moving from within; we have been like persons who eaunot get themselves to fioe in the morning; and we have desired and waited tbr a thiug impossible,—to be ehanged once and for all, all af once, by some great exeitement from without, or some great event, or some speeial season; something or other we go on expeeting, whieh is to change us thout our ha, ing the trouble to change ourselves. We eovet some miraeulous warning, or we complain that we are a. v. 3, 4.
hot in happier eireumstances, that we have so manv eares, or so few religious privileges; or we look forward for a rime when religion will eome easy to us as a lnatter of course. This we used to look out for as boys; we used to t.hink there vas rime enough yet to think of religion, and that if was a natural thing', that it came vithout trouble or effort, foL" men to be religious as lire vent on; we faneied that all old persons musç be religious; and nov even, as grown men, we have hOt put off çhis deecit; but, instead of giving" out hearts fo Goal, we are waiting, with Felix, for a eonvenient season.:Let us rouse ourselves, and aet as reasonable men, before if is too la.te; let us understand, as a first truth in religion, that lotie of heaven is the only way fo heaen. Sight will not move us; else why did Judas persist in eovetousness in the very presenee of Christ? why did Balaam, vhose "eyes vere opened," remain with a elosed heart? why did Satan tall, when he was a bright Arehaugel? Nor vill reason subdue us; else why was the Gospel, in the beginning, "to the Greeks foolishness "? Nor will exeited feelings eonvert us; for there is one who "heareth the word, and anon with jo 3 reeeivet.h it;" yet "hath no roof in himself," and " dureth" only "for a while." Nor will self-interest prevail vith us; or the rieh man would have been more prudent, whose "ground broughç forth plentifully," and would have reeolleeted that "that nighç his soul" might be "' re¢luired of him." Let us understand that nothing"