I laboured more abundantly than they all; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me....1 Cor. xv. 10. WHEN One meets with journals, diaries, experiences, &c. which do not exalt the riches of the grace of God, but set off the selfimportance of the writers of them, they are as nauseous to the mind as tainted food to the palate; they remind of the poet's observation, "and I the little hero of each tale." Not so Paul, in speaking of himself; no sooner had he brought this little, great I, upon the stage, but he instantly clapt it under the hatches: hence this doctrine is plain; the grace of God makes a person labour for God and yet keeps him humble before God. Consider, 1st. To have the grace of God with one, is to have a lively sense of God's free favor in Christ upon one's own soul; without this we go on heavily in the ways of God, soon tire in his service, and turn back and walk no more with Christ: this was the life and spring of all Paul's labours. See to it then, that we wrestle with God in prayer, study the precious word of his grace, and be diligent in attending his ordinances, that we may ever have a lively sense of God's pardoning, justifying, sanctifying grace in Christ upon our hearts, ever cautiously avoid all persons, places and things, which tend to grieve the Spirit and damp his lively influence. For, 2d. Every private christian is called to labour for God, as well as apostles and ministers. There is such a thing as receiving the grace of God in vain. How? When we profess to esteem and receive the doctrines of the gospel of grace, and yet they bring not forth in us correspondent fruits. O, how much is this the case among professors! How greatly to be deplored and deprecated! What! do you profess to know God and yet in works deny him? Do you believe the love to, and salvation of Christ for miserable sinners? and yet can you, instead of labouring for his glory, be idle, in not living and walking, studying and striving to please our Saviour and profit his dear children? Have you the grace of God with you? It is to be feared. If you have, you have sadly lost its life and influence. O, be deeply affected for your state. 3d. Is the grace of God warm upon our hearts? Are we lively and active for God's glory in our lives? Do we labor more than others for God? O, let us beware we do not sacrifice to ourselves, exalt our own power and faithfulness; for true grace will keep us low and humble: in the light of it we shall see how little we do for God, how much more we ought to do; and in the little we do, how much evil there is in it, and how far short we come in all of his glory: "Be clothed with humility.".. -1 Pet. v. 5. He is most blest, who labours most But after all we dare not boast, For all is done through grace. M. Jesus said, verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you....John vi. 53. IGNORANT Souls, who sit under unenlightened teachers, are taught to apply these words to the sacrament: hence they think, if they do but receive the sacrament, they surely eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ, their sins are pardoned, all is well, and they shall go to heaven at last. O, how horridly is that sacred ordinance prostituted! "The wicked, such as be void of a lively faith, do carnally and visibly press with their teeth the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ; yet in no wise are they partakers of Christ: but rather to their condemnation, do eat and drink the sign or sacrament of so great a thing," says St. Austin. What doth our Lord here mean? 1st. That naturally we have no spiritual life in us; we are dead under the sentence of the law; as dead to all knowledge of, love to, and delight in God, as a beast: we have no more likeness to God and the life of God in us, than a devil has. O, this is very cutting and humbling to our proud nature; flesh and blood rise with indignation against it. But, 2d. What joyful news is here for us: Christ came, that we sinners of the human race (not fallen angels) might have life, a spiritual, holy, heavenly life, yea and have it more abundantly too.... John x. 10. O, may the Spirit enlighten us to see this and quicken us to go to Christ that we may enjoy it. For, 3d. This is by eating his flesh and drinking his blood; our Lord puts his strong oath to it, that in this way, and in no other, we can have it; and this fully confirms that in this way we are sure to enjoy it. 4th. What is meant by eating Christ's flesh and drinking his blood? Our Lord deals most familiarly with us; he sends us to our tables to form proper ideas of what he is to us. Just what eating and drinking natural food is to the body, that Christ is to the soul: as that cannot live without eating and drinking, no more can our souls without the flesh and blood, the life and death of Christ, received into our hearts by faith: thus we enjoy the life of God in our souls. But, 5th. Here is a precious word: "The Son of man." Faith must fasten upon that: it is feeding upon the humanity of Christ that brings us to enjoy the divine life; we come to God through the flesh of Christ; we feed on the flesh and blood of the SON OF MAN, and so become one flesh with him; "we are flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bone.".... Eph. v. 30. We are incorporated into him; and, O joyful, are presented to the Father without spot or wrinkle IN HIM....Eph. v. 27. By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shall be condemned....Matt. xii. 37. WHO then can be saved? Is not this legal doctrine? Does it not contradict that fundamental doctrine of the gospel, justification by faith, in the righteousness of Christ ONLY? No; no more than St. James, in maintaining justification by works, contradicts St. Paul, who insists upon justification by faith: they are easy to be reconciled; so are these words to justification by grace. Surely our Lord never meant to contradict his own words, "he that believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemination, but is passed from death unto life." He cannot mean to overthrow our faith, distress our souls, and cause us to rest our final justification at the last day, upon either our words or our works; if so, woe unto the most PERFECT; it had been better for that man he had never been born, for eternal condemnation must be his doom: but justification by faith in Christ is ever to be held fast in the conscience as the everlasting truth of an unchangeable God, the foundation of hope, the source of peace, an inexhaustible fountain of joy, and the spring of holiness. But what means our Lord? O, may he give us to understand. In the preceding verse, he says, "for every IDLE word men shall speak, they shall give account thereof." The most learned translate it, malicious or wicked words. Now our Lord, just before, treats of "speaking a word against the Son of man."....verse 32. Therefore, for these malicious words, resulting from their unbelief and rejection of Christ, men shall be condemned: the words of the lips proclaim the disposition of the heart as words condemn Christ, so for such words they shall be condemned by Christ: so by thy words approving of, and confessing Christ's blood to be the one atonement for sin, and his obedience the ONE righteousness to justify sinners, thou shalt be justified; "for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."....Rom. x. 10. Thus the fate of every soul at the last day, will be determined by his faith in Christ or his unbelief of him, declared by his words; they will be called in as evidences of faith unto eternal life, or of unbelief unto eternal death; they will justify our faith, or condemn our unbelief. By our words we understand the general tenor of our conversation. Paul speaks of a conversation becoming the gospel.... Phil. i. 27. Peter of a good conversation in Christ....1 Pet. iii. 16. Without this, O disciple, what evidence have you that you have the faith of God's elect Now, or shall be finally justified at the last day? "Without holiness, no man shall see the Lord."....Heb. ii. 14. From the rising of the sun, unto the going down of the same, the Lord's name is to be praised....Psalm cxiii. 3. PRAISE is the incessant employ of glorified saints in heaven: there they fully see and eternally sing of the electing, redeeming, sanctifying, glorifying love of the blessed trinity. May our souls catch some of the heavenly flame of love, and imitate them in our praise to-night; this is the work of an humble heart: pride is the parent of murmuring and discontent. A sense of the blessings of the Lord and a sight of the unworthiness of them, excite praises in the heart this is the language of a praising soul, why me, Lord? Why am I singled out from the ruins of a fallen race, to partake of thy special grace, peculiar love, and precious salvation? Am I better than others? Have I done more to deserve thy mercies than others? Have I a greater right to challenge thy favor than others? O Lord, why me? Thus, while the soul sinks in humility it rises in praise. David describes saints, with the "highest praises of God in their mouth, and a two edged sword in their hand."....Psalm cxlix. 6. What for? To execute vengeance upon their heathen, notions, of sacrificing any praise to themselves, or ascribing any thing to their own deserts: these are special marks of a regenerate person. 1st. His heart is formed for, and his soul delights to praise the Lord at all times: for he sees himself infinitely and entirely indebted to the grace of God, for all he is, all he enjoys, and all he hopes for. 2d. It is his grief that he cannot praise the Lord as he would without intermisson, "from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same:" for worthy is the Lord of unceasing praise. His mercies are renewed every morning, continued unto evening, and repeated in the night-season. But here is a precious word in this Psalm that endears the Lord to us, and excites praise from us : "Who is like unto the Lord our God who dwelleth on high?" Who HUMBLETH himself....pause, O my soul, at that astonishing word: how did the most high God humble himself? To the most low and abject state; made himself of no reputation, took on him the form of a servant, a mean man: yea more, became obedient to the most ignominious death, even the cursed death of the cross....Phil. ii. 8. O, my soul, though vile in thine own eyes, though of no repute in the world, consider this: thou canst never want an inexhaustible fund of comfort, and a never-failing source for praise. "Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me bless his holy name."....Psalm ciii. 1. Each risen sun that I behold, Calls for my daily praise: Thy mercies, Lord. can ne'er be told: The shades of each revolving night, O joyful hope! O prospect bright! Come, buy wine and milk, without money and without price ....Isa. lv. 1. A FREE gospel is the glory of God's grace, the joy of humble souls, the envy of malicious devils, and the contempt of proud, self-righteous pharisees. MILK is the pure, sweet, soul-nourishing doctrines of the gospel of Christ. WINE is the generous, heartreviving comforts, of pardon of sins and peace with God through the blood of Christ: the Lord knows we cannot grow strong, not be comfortable in our souls, without this precious milk and animating wine. Here is the Lord's open house, public market, free invitation and fixed price. COME, draw nigh to me; keep not at a distance from me, saith the Lord; make no excuse, nor any delay; come now this moment: here is a free invitation and a hearty welcome. O, the love of our Lord's heart! Buy. Art thou rich? Such the Lord sends empty away. Hast thou brought a stock of thine own faithfulness, terms thou hast fulfilled, and conditions performed to buy with? Then instead of wine and milk thou wilt receive a scourge from the Lord. Remember, those who bought he whipt out of his temple. O, saith the poor self-emptied, soul-humbled sinner, this word BUY puts me to a stand: I am poor and pennyless; I have nothing to bring but misery and poverty; I am perishing for want of comfort. Thou art the very person invited the Lord filleth the hungry with good things. O, precious word of marvellous grace! Buy....WITHOUT MONEY AND WITHOUT PRICE or money's worth. What! have I been five, ten, twenty years or upwards in Christ, and have I got no inherent stock of grace, no more worth or value to buy with than I had when I first came to him as a poor, naked and perishing sinner? Must I come as at first, poor and pennyless? Yes: or not at all. The Lord knows what thou art; he invites thee just as thou art; his price just suits thy abject poverty. What an affront would it be to a dear friend to bring a price in our hands for a rich entertainment, with a free invitation? No affectionate mother more freely administers the breast of nourishment to her hunting infant, than the Lord his milk and wine to thirsty souls. Faith works by the love of this: it operates upon the heart, so as to produce sincere love to God and cheerful obedience to his word and will: but base unbelief, with a bastard humility, raises jealousies and suspicions of the Lord's rich love and free grace. One says, it cannot be for me, I am too vile; another, I am unworthy of it. Christ 66 says, whosoever will, let him come."....Rev. xxii. 17. I thank thee, Lord, who fixt thy price, No works, no worthiness have I, Tho' poor and vile in my own eyes, To bring before my Lord to plead, |