The kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.... 1 Cor. iv. 20. IT is the wisdom of a christian to improve from the various objects he meets with: see we an open profane sinner? Beware of looking down upon him with Pharisaic pride and supercilious contempt: behold in him your own wicked nature: remember grace alone made the difference: be humble; adore the God of grace: see we only the form of godliness in any? Paul tells us how to act: "from such turn away,"....2 Tim. iii. 5. You will get no good from them: there is little hope of doing good to them; leave them: why so? Because they are strangers to the vital power of godliness and destitute of the inward experience of the grace of Christ upon their souls true they may make a great shew; have vast zeal for the interest of a party; be very warm and violent for the form of sound words, a consistent plan of doctrine and a set of scripture notions; but yet after all, it is but the notion and form of things which float in their heads, and swim on the surface of their understandings: their hearts are dead to the love of Christ, but alive to the love of the world: they join the men of the world in their contemptuous sneer upon the power of self-denying godliness: and in irreligious banter upon those who seperate themselves from the ungodly and profane, and live and walk under the influence of spiritual feelings and experience: all this they account precise folly, and condema as rank enthusiasm. Have you the power of godliness? Is Christ the power of God in your heart? Is your soul alive to him? Is your body the temple of the Holy Ghost? Does God dwell in you, and delight over you? Is it your daily delight to study the word, rely upon the promises, taste the grace, feel the power, feed upon the comfort and live upon the fullness of the love of Christ? What have you to do with the men who are content with mere form, shadow or notion; and are strangers to the power of all this? Catch the infection of their secure spirit you may: by such the keen edge of your spiritual affections may be blunted; you may be drawn to lie supinely down by them and into spiritual slumber with them; But of all men there is the least hope of these rising from their security, running the heavenly race with you, and of being spiritually profitable to you think of this and turn from them: know your danger: though not of losing your soul, yet of losing the life, comfort and power of godliness: O, what is a christian without this? How comfortless the moments? How dejecting the hours? How distressing the days! How doleful the nights without experiencing the power of Christ! Yea, what is life itself, without the experience of his grace and love! And he bowed himself and said, what is thy servant that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?.... 2 Sam. ix. 8. OLD love cannot he forgotten; it makes such deep, and leaves such lasting impressions on the mind, which time itself cannot efface. This was verified in David and Jonathan: the latter is dead; yet love to his memory lives in David's heart: hence he enquires after the remains of his family, to shew kindness unto them. Mephibosheth, the lame son of Jonathan is introduced to the king: he thus expresses the affection of his royal heart to him. “ Fear not, for I will surely shew kindness to thee for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father, and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.” Had any of David's subjects a right to arraign, and call him to an account for this sovereign act of favor? Which of them would dare to say unto him, what dost thou? But yet proud hearts rise with indignation and utter their horrid speeches against the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth, for dispensing his free favor and rich grace which he owes to none, to whom he pleases. See how Mephibosheth is affected. Struck with astonishment he bows with humility, and rates himself, a DEAD DOG: totally undeserving such signal favors. Generous love, in freely bestowing unmerited mercies, sink reflecting minds into deep humility and self abasement. O that God's free grace to us in Jesus may so affect us. Did such love dwell in David's heart to all who belonged to Jonathan? Then 1st. Here is a picture of the everlasting, infinite and immutable love of God to all who belong to JESUS. Jonathan signifies the gift of the Lord, this Christ is to us. 2d. Did David enquire after them? So God sends his Spirit to seek us. "Thou shalt be called, sought out."....Isa. lxii. 12. 3d. Was Mephibosheth lame in his feet? We are so crippled by sin, that we cannot run the way of God's commandments; yet 4th. Says David, "fear not." So saith our God, "fear not, I have called thee by thy name," a sinner....Isa. xliii. 1. 5th. Says David, “I will surely shew kindness to thee:" "With everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord."....Isa. liv. 8. 6th. "I will restore thee all thy father's land." It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 7th. "Thou shalt eat bread continually.” "We are appointed to eat bread at our Lord's table in his kingdom.' ....Luke xxii. 8. 8th. Why is all this?" For Jonathan thy father's sake." O sinner, be it known unto thee, all the favors in time and to eternity are bestowed on thee for Jesus the Son of God's sake ONLY. Now what say you to all this? Will you not fall down and own, I am as a dead dog, and deserve to be as a damned devil! "But grace reigns."....Rom. v. 21. The Father seeketh such to worship him....John iv. 23. ERROR is natural to fallen man: he sets his face against truth, and turns his back upon it with contempt: the more error abounds with pride and self-sufficiency, so much the more is it suited to our corrupt nature: hence we are naturally Pelagians we cannot think Adam's sin has hurt us, or else Semipelagians, though we confess our souls are wounded by Adam's sin, yet we cannot think we are totally dead to God thereby; but as it were only half dead: so that we still possess some power and ability to see God and to please him if we will but exert ourselves. This is the popular doctrine of our day it tickles man's pride and keeps up his self importance. Hence this dry, shrivelled, comment is put upon our Lord's words: that if we will but stir up ourselves to seek God, possess cur minds with an habitual sense of religion, and worship him in spirit and truth, he then will seek us and delight in us." This is reading the scriptures backward: putting the cart to draw the horse, and supposing an effect to be productive of its cause: but in opposition to this, consider, seeking implies, 1st. That we are lost; so, "the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost."....Matt. xviii. 11. "He was sent to the LOST SHEEP of the house of Israel."....xv. 24. Who ever heard of a lost sheep seeking after its shepherd? The Father seeks us before we seek him: our seeking him is the effect of his finding us. Hence every member of Christ's church "shall be called, soUGHT OUT."....Isa. Ixii. 12. O this endears the love of our Father to our souls! 2d. It implies his knowledge of us. What he says of Jeremiah is true of all his people: "before I formed thee, in the belly I knew thee, and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee,"....Jer. i. 5. He knew us from eternity in the covenant: chose us in Christ, and sanctified, or separated us for himself to worship him in spirit and in truth, in time. O this lays us under everlasting obligation to love, adore and praise our heavenly Father! 3d. Seeking us, implies love to us, and propriety in us. Who seeks for that which they set no value upon? Who searches after a person they do not love? Who will take pains to look for that which is not their own property? The woman who had lost the piece of money, sought it diligently, and rejoiced greatly when she had found it; for it was her own. Smile who will at the simile, it is just. There is as much disposition in a lost piece of money to seek its owner, as there is in a lost sinner to seek his God. Hast thou found God? Dost thou know him as thy Father? Dost thou worship him in spirit and in truth? O, resolve it all into his fatherly love in first seeking thee for thus saith the Lord, "I am found of them who sought me not."....Isa. lxv. 1. Make me to hear joy and gladness, that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice....Psalm li. 8. Of all the curses of sin, good Lord deliver us from Antinomian licentiousness, which consists, in being so hardened by the deceitfulness of sin, as to make light of it. Though David had been awfully licentious in his practice, yet we see the grace of the saint shine forth in his brokenness of heart, sorrow of soul, and contrition of spirit for his sins. Never quote David's dreadful fall, without his deep, soul-affected, heart-broken sorrow and repentance: never think of one without the other; lest you think slightly of the most cursed evil of all evils, wilful sin, against a gracious God. O, who can tell the horrors of soul, and terrors of conscience David felt when he uttered these words! Consider them, O my soul: the Lord make sin more dreadful to thy view, and hateful in thy sight. 1st. Spiritual joy and gladness of soul in the Lord hath forsaken him: what had the gratifying his cursed lusts, and vile passions brought upon him! A guilty conscience, a heavy heart, and a disconsolate soul: the spirit of peace and joy was grieved at his conduct, and withdrawn from his soul: satan the tempter, was now his accuser: the ghost of URIAH appeared to his mind; the thought of Bathsheba brought hell into his conscience: all within was terror; all around distress, and all above horror: but the Lord had not given him up to a reprobate mind; he convinced him of sin, and, by grace, broke his heart for it. Hence, behold he prayeth: O was it possible to recall the cursed, hellish lust, and bloody deed, he would rather have parted with his crown and kingdom than ever have committed them. What would he not now give, to hear the joy of pardon from God, to make glad his soul? For, 2d. he complains of broken bones. Who can describe the pains of mind he now felt? A broken bone must be extremely painful; but he seems to feel, as though all the bones in his body were broken: Lord deliver us from sin which caused it! But why does he ascribe their being broken to God? Did not his fall cause it? Yes. But he lay many months, (as it were,) numbed by his fall, and insensible of his hurt; but God convinced him of his sins, and quickened him to feel pain. O ye fools who make a mock of sin, see God breaks the bones even of his beloved saints for it: better to groan with broken bones on earth, than under damnation in hell. O think of David's pains, and groans, under a sense of sin: remember Peter went out and wept bitterly for sin: but forget not the Savioee hence the exceeding sinfulness of sin, ALL sin.".... 1 John i. 7. "whose precious blood cleanseth from Against thee Lord I sinned have, O, let me for thy mercy crave, To heal my soul, and make me whole. Thy loving kindness is before mine eyes....Psalm xxvi. 3. THIS causes a peaceful conscience, a happy heart, and a holy life. What is meant by loving kindness? It is love expressed by action: the affection of the heart manifested by acts of kindness. Thus the Lord speaks of his Church in general, and of every individual member of it in particular: "I have loved thee with an everlasting love. What then? This love manifests itself in time thus : "therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee."....Jer. xxxi. 3. "I will betroth thee unto me forever in loving kindness."....Hos. ii. 19. Being thus betrothed and drawn to the Lord our souls have a sight and sense of his loving kindness: what is meant by its being "before our eyes?" Its engaging the attention of our mind, captivating the affections of our heart, seeing one's interest in it, feeling the refreshments of it, and rejoicing on account of it: knowing there is no separation from it. Thus everlasting love provides a Saviour, almighty grace draws poor sinners to him, and then loving kindness becomes the glory of our hearts, and the joy of our souls. We love it and meditate upon it; we not only see it, but feast upon it, and are astonished at it: we cry out with David, "thy loving kindness is better than life itself."....Psalm lxiii. 3. For all our comforts in life flow from it: it is marvellous in our eyes: it exceeds expression is beyond conception. Besides these internal effects upon the mind, the loving kindness of the Lord, hath external influence upon the life: David adds, “and I have walked in thy truth." Without this, all might be the flights of towering passions, and the sallies of a heated imagination: but now all is well with the poor sinner; his heart is not only happy, but his life is holy to walk in the truth, is to walk contrary to the deceitful hopes, lying vanities, and carnal delights of the men of this world; it is to walk not in self-righteous confidence, no more than in lawless licentiousness; but in Christ who is the TRUTH: in holy fellowship with him, humble dependence on him, growing love to him, and longing expectation of eternally enjoying him. O Christian, are your sins ever before you? Let the loving kindness of Jehovah, Father, Son and Spirit, ever be before your eyes: this is the glory of saints above; let this be your glory below; for, "thus saith the Lord, let him that glorieth, glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise loving kindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth: for in these things 1 delight saith the Lord."....Jer. ix. 24. My God! how matchless is thy love? It draws mine heart to joys above, M. |