Parochial and Plain Sermons

"' Bringing into captivity et, e thought fo the obedience of ChNst."

tIE question may 1,e askcd, I[ow is if possible to live as if the coming" «,t' Christ were hot fir when our reason tells us that if probably is distant? If may ho objeeted that there are no rounds for expeeting" it now, more than for the last eig'hteen huudred years; that if Ilis lon absence is a reason for expeetin it nOW,)-et His promise of a speedy reIurn was a reason for expeeting if in earlier rimes; and if the one reason has turned out insuffieient, so may the other; that if, in spire of His promise to bc speedy, He ha. tarried so long, Ite may tarry longer still; that no sig'ns of His eoming ean be greater than were abroad soon after His dcparture; that, ecrtainly, there arc no sueh signs now; nay, that during the tlrst seven hundred years, and again about the year I000, and later, there were many more signs of Christ's coming than there are now,—lnore trouble of nations, more distress, more sickness, more tcrror. If may bc said, that we cannot hopc, and tbtr, and cxpcct, «md wait, as we will,—but that wc must havc reaso»s for so (h,in; and lhat if we arc pcrsuadcd, in our dcliberate judgmcnt, that Christ's coming is not probable, wc cannot make ourselvcs feel as if if wcre prç,b:,ble. Now in eonsidering this ol]cction, which I shall do, I mav bave an,-,ppol'tuuity of stating u great principle which obt«6ns in Christinn duty, the sul,jection of the wh«,le mind fo the l:m- of God. 1. ] dcny, then, tlmt our fi:clings and likings are only moved aecording fo the dictatcs of what we eommonl- mean b" reason; so far from if, that nothing" is more common, on the other haud, than fo say, that reason oes che way, and out wishes fro nm»ther. Thcre is nothing impossible, thon, in lenrninff fo look out fi»r the day of Christ's cominz more earnestlv than accordiug fo its probability in the judffment of rcason. As reason mav be a riqit guide for our feelings and likings fo go by up fo a certain point, so there nmy be cases in whieh if is unablc fo rguide us, from its weakness; and as it is hot impossible for sinfid and irreligious men to like what their rcason relis them thev should hot like; therefore if is hot impossible for rcliffious men also to desire, expect, aud hope, what thcir reason is unequal fo approve nnd nccept. AVhat is more common than fo hear if said, " I love a pcrson more than I respect him "? or, « I admire him nmre than I love him"? Or, again, we know how easy if is fo open the mind to the influence of some feding or emotion, and how dicult it is fo avoid such influence; h«_,w dittleult it is to g'et a thoug'ht out, ot" the mind, which l'eason savs oug'ht t,» 1,e kep out, and which will idrudc itsclf ag'aiu and how dillicult te, l'estrain au'er, fear, or olher laSSlOu, which yet reusoli tells us sh.uld l»e rcstraincd. It is, then, quite 1,ossil,le fo have feeliu's and thoug'hts 1,resellt. with us in a wav whi«h is disl,rOl,«,rtiomltc,:eeordilffo the.iudgmct «,f res,. ()r, t:ke:mothcr instaucc. We kuow how the miud sometimes dwell upou the chance or" wlmt is l»rt.l S l»ossil»lc» quitc numbcr «»t" thiugs mav haplC b troc lwrlmps as likclv as au«gthcr; and)et, ri'oto wcakucss ot" hcaltl b citemen, it oteu happeus tlm wc canno hclp thinking" overmuch of some ont or" these possible eveuts, and g'etiu R" mduly anxi«»us let it. should halqC. Thus, il" some dreadfitl occurrence has takcu 1,lace, a tire, or a murder, or some horrible accident, persons become fi'ightened, lest. the saine should happeu to them, « measure far exccedin what a. merc calculation probabilitics warrants. Their imag'iuation maguities the danger; they canno persuade themselves fo look a t.hings calmly, and according fo their geueral course. Ïhey fix their thoug'hts upou oue particular chance,  way quite contra T to what reason su'gests. Thus, so far ri'oto our tbelings being" moved accordiug 1o the strie probabilities of things, the contrary is rather the rule. Wha Almighty God theu requires of us is, fo tha in one instance tbr ]Iis sake, which we do so commonly in indulgence of out own waywardness and weakness; to hope, im 3 expect out Lord's comln, more flmn reason warrants, and in a wav whieh llis word ah»ne warrants; that is, to trust IIim above our reason. You say, that it is m,t probable Christ will ce,me at t]liS rime, and t]lt'l't'l»l'e VOtl CllliliOf expeet it. Now, I say,)ou ean expeet if." You must ]bel there is a chance that l[e will corne. Yell, then, dwell on tha eham.e; open your mind fo it; treat that chance.iust as vou s,,,,tien treut he chance »1' tire, or peril lv sea, «.r peril by laml, «.r thieves. Out bord sas, that I[e shall corne as  thieF in the nig.ht. Now vou know lhat [t  flcre bas been some rcmarkable robbery, people are fri'hten«d lhr more thau at.crding fo the chauee of their ],ein'themselves r,ll,ed. Thev are haunted by the idea; it mav be that tle pr«d»aldl[t" «.f'their own bouses bein" attcmptcd is lmt snmll,)et the thiug itself is an,,ljet.t of g'reat all,rehcnsh,n to them, and they think more of the grievousness of the event apprehended, should it. hal»pen, than of the small chance of ifs happeuiug'. They are moved bv the risk. And in like manner, as re'ards the coming" of Christ; I do hot sav we must be exeited, or unsettled, or engrossed with the thought, but still we must hot let the long. delav persuade us n,.t to wateh for it. "Thoug'h it tarry, wait ]br it.'" If" lIe bids us, as a marrer of duty, impress the prospeet of tlis eoming upon out imagination, He asks no liard thing; no hard thing', that is, to the willing mind; and what we ean do we are bound to do. . 'Phis is what first sugg'ests itselç, but it opens the wav to flrther thou'hts. For only refleet, what is fifith itself but an aeeeptanee of things unseen, from the loe of them, eyod the detenninations of ealeulation and experience? Faith outstrips:lrgument. Ifthere is onlya fiir chance that the Bible is true, that. heaven is the reward of obedien«e, and hell of" wilfil sin, iI is wm'th while, il is satb, fo sterifiee this world to thc next. If were wort] while, thongh Christ t«,Id us fo sell 11 lhat we have and tbllow IIim, and fo pass our time here in poverty and eontempt, if. were worth while ,n that elmnee fo do if. This, then, is what is nieront ]»r fiith 'oing" aguinst reason, that if eares hot tbr the measnre of prolabilities; if does hot ask whether; thig is more or less likely; but if there is a fair und «lear likelihod whaI God's will is, it aets npon iI. If ScripIure were n«,t tme, weshonld in the next world be left wheve we were; we should, in the event, be no worse off than before; but if if be truc, then we shull be infinitely worse off for hot believing  it than it" we had believed if. We all know the retort which the aged saint mme in the story, when  licentions youth reminded him, how he would have wastêd lifc if there were o flture state of recompensc: "Truc, mv son," he answcred, "" but. how.»z«eh w,rse  waste is vours it" there »." }'aith, then, does hot regard degree. of evidenee. You might lay if down as a rule, speaking in the way of reason, that we ought fo have fiaith aeeording I¢» the eridenee; that the more evidenee there is, the more firm it should be; and the less evidenee, the weaker will it be required of us. But this is hot the case as regards l'eligious faith,whieh aeeepts /he Word of God as firmlr on the evidenee whieh if is vouchsafed, as if that evidenee were doubled. This, indeed, we sec to be t.le case as regards things of earth; and surely what we sg do towards men, we may bear fo do towards Gond. If mly one whom we trust and revere told us any news, whieh he had perfbct mcans of knowinff, we should belicve him; e sh6uld hot. 1,elieve if more thorouffly because presently another told it to us also. And in like ruminer, thoug'h itis quite certain that. Ahni.'hty God mig'ht have g'ivcn us g'reater evidence than we possess, that lle speaks fo us in the ]{ible;)'et since Ile has g'iven us cnough, faith de,es nt,t ask for more, but is satisfied, and aets upon what. is enough; whereas unbelief is ever asking" t'or sig'ns, mwe and g.reater, befi,re if will vield h, the Divine Vt,rd. Returning" to my main subject, I observe, in like manne,, what is truc of faith is true of hope. We may be eommanded, if so l,e, fo hope ag'ains hope, or to expect Christ's coming', in a certain scnse, against reason. Itis hot inconsistcnt with God's general dealinffs towards us, that Ile should bid us feel and act as if" that were at hand, whieh yet, if we went by what experience tells us, we should say was hot likely fo be at hand. If Ile bids us to believe in IIim with our whole heart, whether the evidence of His speaking to us be greater or less, why nmy lle hot bid us wait for Him perseveringly, though the sig'ns of IIis coming" disappoint us, and reason desponds? X,'e cannot tcll in such a marrer what is more probable and what is hot; we tan but attempt what we are told fo do. And lhal we tan do: we caa direct and fitshion out feeling's accol'ding" to His word, and lcave the test to IIiln. 3. Here, then, I ana led to make a further remark; that as it is out duty to bring some things belote out nainds, and eontemplate them mueh more vividly than reason bv itself wouhl lid us, so, agiu, there are other flfins which if is a duty fo put. awav ri'oto us, hot dwell upon, and hot to realize, thoug.h they be 1)rouhi before us. And vet if is evideut, ¢oo, that persons might here also objeet, and say that if is impossible fo help being moved md infleueed ]y what we know fir certain, just as thev say that if is impossible fo believe and expect what we know te, be ut certain. For instalwe; we know tlmt itis a. duty hot to bc valu and eoueeited about any persoual advautnge we mav lmppen t,» possess. Yet a man miffht ask, if possible fo help it? He might say, "If persoas exeel in any respect, they must know it; itis qnite absurd to suppose, as a rnle, hat they shouhl ut; but if they know if, how is it possible they shouhl uot take plea- ur6 in their own excellence, aud adlnire themselves for it? Admiration is the natural eonsequence of tle sight f exeellenee: if persons know they exeel, they eamot help admiring themselves; and if they excel, generally speaking, thev eannot but know it; and this, whatever i be they exeel in, whether in personal appearauce, or in power of speech, or in girls of mind, or in eharacter, or in anv other way." But uow, on the other hand, I suppose that if is quite certain bat Scripture tells us tot fo pride ourselves on «my thing" we are, any thing we do; tlmt is, lmt fo indulge flose feelings whieh, it seems, are the n:dural and legitimate result of our knowing what we do kuow. Now what is fo be said fo this? how are these opposites fo be a'eeoneiled?

One answcr would of course be this; that religious men knmv how defcctive, aftcr.ll, their best dceds are, or tihcir best points <,f character; or they know how much more othcrs d«; «,r thcy know thcir own g'reat deficiencics in othcr rcspects; or ther know how triflin some of thosc poiats arc on which thcv lnay happen to bc supcrior fo othcrs. But this is hot a su/ficient answer; because the p.iuts in qucsti«m are excellentes, whether.'reat exccllenccs or hot, or uhcthcr or n«,t there be,,thcrs greatcr, or howcvcr wanting the parties may be in.thcr respcets. And hcrein lies, I think, the tcmptation whi«h ail l»ersons havc fo sclf-esteem, that in oer/ain sense their ju(lgment abou thcmsclvcs is wrOllg'; hot that they;re n«,t very defieient in manv things, n«, as if thev did hot know this, bu tlmt they h««e certain exeellenees, which really are excellenees and theyjèel them; and the question is, how tan tber help t?eling them? It mav be sugg'ested, l,rhaps, to a«coun for humility -f religious men, that, whatever persoual girls they may have, ther are z, se«l to them; and fifis it whieh keeps them ri'oto fifinking" mueh of them. There is ruth in this remark, of course, but if daes hot explain why thev ozee lmve lmt thougqt mueh of them, viz. when the sig'h of wha thev were, was nof so familiar fo theln as it is; md it" thev did, we may be sure tha the effeets of thcir former selte«,neeit will remain upon them now having- becolne habitnal. Anoflaer and fitr 1,etter reason why religious persons are no self-eonceited is, tha they dislike fo think of whatever is good in them, and turn away from the thoug'ht of if, whether their SUl,«riority to ohel'S be in mind or lody, in intcllectual 1.wers,r in moral attainments. But there is, I thiuk, an,,ther m«,'e direct reason, and m,,re c«,nneeted with my presen sul,jeet. It, is this: th«»ugh relig'ious men have g'ifls, and thoug'h they ku«,xx if, ye thev d,, ne,t. re, li.:e them. I is n«t necessary here to exl,lain cxactlv what is meaut. ly the word " re:dizing';" we ail understaud the w.rd cnough for mv presen pro'pose, and shall all e«ntbss that, af leas, there is an abundam'e «d' matters which meu d« t(,t realize, thou'h lhey «u'h[ fo do s«. For instance; how h,udly men talk of the shortness -f this liib, of is wufity and Unlrofitableuess, and of le claires whieh the world to eome has Ul,On us  This is whag we hear saîd daily, yet few aet ul,»n thc ruths they utter; and whv? beeause thev d« n«»[ rea[i.:e what thev are so ready fo proclaim. They de, n«» sec llim who is invisible, and t[is eternal king'dom. Vell, then, wha lnen «,mit te, de, when the &»ing" is a duty, that ley tan surely als«» omi fo do in cases when olnissi«,n is a. duv. Serious lnen may kuow indeed, if it so be, what their excellentes are, whether relig'ious, «,r moral, or anv other, lut they du no tbel them in that vivid wav whieh we eall realizing'. They do hot open their hearts to the kuowledge, so tha i beeomes ffuitfil. Barren knowledg'e is wretehed thing, when knowledge ough, fo bear fruit; lu i is a. g'ood rhino, when it wouhl «»therwise act merely as « temptation. Vhen men realize a truth, it beeomes an influential prineiple within them, and leads fo u number of eonsequenees }»fl in opinion and in eonduet. The case is the s:me;s re,'d. l'e;,lizin" oto" own 'itts. But men «,f superi«,r min«ls know them without reilizin. Thev mav kn,,w tiret thev hure cert:in excellentes, it'they ]rave them, ihev m:v linw thnt thev have .ood points,,f' ehnrneter,.r «hiliiies, or att:inments; but it wav of an unproductive l<ntwled'e, which leaves the mind.ust as if tbund if. Aml this seems te» l»e what g'ives sueh a remifl¢nhle simplieity t the elmr:eter ot" h,»lv mon, «md umizes.thers s mu«h tlmt thev think if a parad,x -r in('«nsisteney, or even: mark of insin- «.evity, thnt lhe snme l,ersns shouhl profi.ss fo know mu«.h:l,out flemselves,:md ver s,, liltle,that thev he:r so mu(.h said l,eut themselves, thifl they ean bear s,) mut.h pvaise, so much p«)l)ulari/y, so mueh deferenee,:md ver without l»ein" putt.d up, or arroffa/ingaug.h, or despising" others; that thev (.an speal¢ al»ut themselves, yet in so unafleted a tone, with so mueh nattre, with sueh ehihllike innocence, and sueh g.raeefifl fi'anlcness. Am, ther instance ¢,f /his re:t git't of' knowin" without realizin, is uflhrded us in relation o sulleets fo whieh I wiil hut allude. Men who indulge their passions have a linwledge, (liflu'ent in kind ri'oto fhose who lmve «fl»sfnined ri'oto ueh indul'enee; and when they spe:k on sul,.e(.ts eonneeted with if, realize them:t wav in whieh others c:mn,»f alize them. The verv ideas whieh are till c»f telnptation to t.he former, the wrds whieh are paint'ul fo them t,) utter, all that causes them shame and eonthsi,»n of fee, eau be said and thought «»t  hv the innocent without anv distress af all. Augels ean look upou sin with simple abhorrenee and wonder, witlmut humiliation or secret emotion

F«ck'ns la t/c I¢cv«al«d 1I "ard. e6 like simplieity is the reward of the chaste and and that. to the reat amazement of the mwlean, who Ç:mmo understaml the st:,te of mimi «»t' selt a one, or how he tan utter or endure thoug'hts whieh to them- e]ves are fidl of misery and g'uilt. And henee smm.- times you find mon in these days, in which the will of the narre'al man is induled fo the fidl, taking" up writin's of holv men who hnve lived in deserts or cloisters, or with an Ang'el's hear have ruled ('hrist's floe, and I»rol«,n with h,,ly h=n,ds the l»read of lit=, ami xiewing" their w«»rds ht their own murky amosphere, and imputing fo them their own g'r«,ssness; nay, carping" at the words of IIo]v Scripture, which are (;od's, and af the words of the Ç]mreh, as if the saered mvstery of the ]nearnation had hot intr,»duced a thousand new heaven]y associations into this world of And hence, ag'ain, you will find self-indulgent men unable to eoml»rehend the real existence of sanetity and severity of mind in any one. They t.hink that ail persons must. be fu]l of the saine wretehed thoug'hts and feelings whieh forment themselves. Thev thin that zione ean avoid if, from the nature of the case; on]v that eertain persons contrive to bide what ,oe« on in their hearts, and, in consequence, they cal] them pretenders and hypocrites. This, too, is what thev also say as regards the instanee whieh I tooE first,—a man's knowlede of his g'ift. Thev thinE that men who appear to tlfink little of themselves a.re eoneeited within, and that what is ca]led modesty is affectation. I mighL mae the saine remar a]so as regards.the

]V«citffs to t/tc IVcz,««Zed llo'd. 267 privafe jtldgnlenf, beeause he eng'ag'es in thenl; he oug'hL fo be doubting" and hesitatin • in his fiith, beeaue his evidenee çor if. mig'h 1,e 'reater thali iL is; have 11o expeetatioli oF ('hrist's eomin', ].»COaliSe ('hrist. has delayed so lonff; lmt no. so: his mind and heart arc. tbrmed on a dilçcrent mould. In these, and ten th,msand «»ther ways, he is open fo the misalprehcnsi-ns of the world, which neither has his tk'clins n«,r .au enter into hem. Nor eau he explain aud detk.nd them considerations which ail meu, g'ood and bad, derstand, lle ff,_,cs l,y a la" whieh othcrs know hot.; hot. his own wisd«m or.judg'melt, buL 13 (qu'isL's  ". wisdoln and the.judg'menL ot  the.rtt, which is imparted to him,hy that inward incomluunicable pertel,tion of truth and dut-, which is the l'ule oF his reason, affections, wishes, tastes, and ail thaL is in hiln, and which is the result of" 1,erseverin oldieltce. This if is which 'ives so unearthl" a character fo his whole liçe and e«,nvcrsatiou, which is " hid with Christ. in God;" he has asceuded with Christ «,n high, and there " in hcarL and mind continually dwells;" and he is oblig'ed, in consequence, fo put a veil upon his filce, and is m'sterious in the world's jUdglnent, and "becornes as i$ were a mmster unto man'," thou'h he be " wiser than the ag'ed," and have " more understanding" than his teachers, beeause he keeps (od's comnlalidmei ts. Thus « he that is spiritual.udffeth ail thing's, ye he himself is judg'ed of no man;" and with him "it is a very small thinff fo be judg'ed of man's judg'ment," for " He thaf judgeth him is the ordl. » 1 1 COr. ii. 15; iv. 8, 4.

One additional remark is neeessar  in conclusion, with referenee fo the sulieet with whieh I began, the dutr «»f wait.in" fi»r out Lm'd's coming'. If lnust hot 1)e sui)pose(1, (lu.n, tlmt, (his iml)lies . neg'leet of our duties in t.his worhl. A it is 1)osible fo wateh for Christ in si)ire of earthly reasonins fo tire eontrary, so is if, possible te) en'ae in en'(hlr du(ies, in si)if(. of t)ur w(ehing'. Christ (.ornes (w«) men shall 1)e in (he ficld, two women a( the mill, "the one shall 1)e takcn, and the other left." You sec (]mt g'ood and 1.)ad;re eng.;'ed in the saine war; nor nee(l if. hin(ler heart firml" tixe(l,)n (l,)d, that he is engag'ed in worldlv I)usiness with those whose heart are Ul)On the world. Nay, wc nmv form larg'e plm, we nmv l)usv ourseles in new,m(ler(Mdngs, we nmy beg'in great works whieh we eannot do more (ban beg'in; we ma" make provision tbr the fiture, and antieipate in out «,ets the certainty of centre-les fo corne, yet be looking" out >r Christ. Thus indeed we «re bOUl)d fo procecd, an(l fo leave " rimes ml seas,)ns in Ilis Fther's l)ower. '' Whenerer Ile cornes, He will eut thing's short; tlnd, fl)î" what. we know, our eflbrts md begin- Hngs, t]mu'h (hey ])e nothin neeess;ry in the e(»urse of Ilis Providence, as eouhl I)e the lllost sueeesfil aeeolnl)lishment. Surely, He will end the world abnq)tly, whenever He cornes; He will bl'e; off the desins and labom's of His eleet, whatevcr (ber are, and give them what their dutiN1 anxiety aires af, thoNh hot through if. And, as He will end, so did He beg'in (he world abruptly;

IIe beg'an the world which we ste, hot fl'OlU its firs seeds and elelnens, l»ut IIe ereaIed af once the herb and the fi'uit-h'ee pel'f'eL '« whose sced is in itself" hot a. g'radual firlnation, bu a comple/e wçrk. And with cven a g'reatcr abl'ultncss did IIe display llis lniraclcs when He came and new lnade ail thing's, creatin" bread, hot corn, fbl" the supply of the rive thousand, and chanin water, not iuio Illl]" siml,ler, thoug'h prodons liquid, but inIo wine. And,s lle 1,eg'an without beg'ilminff, so will fie end without an elidill'; or railler, ail that we do,wha/cver wc are d«,ill', whether we have rime tbr more or /imc tbr less,—ye our work, finished or uldinished, will be acceptable, donc for Him. Thcrc is no iliCOlisistency, fhen, iii vatching- yet working, tbl" we may work without setting" our hearts on our work. Out sin will bc it" we idolize the work of our hands; if" we lovt, if so well as hot fo bear fo part with it. The test of our thith lies in our being able fo çail without disal)pointlnent. Let us pray God to rulc our heal'/S iu this respect, as well as in others; that " wheu He shall appear, we nmy have confidence, and hot be asllamed before ltim at His eoming'."