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hatred, and reproach, and persecution, in every place, and every age. It matters not how blameless a man is in the whole of his conversation, or how benevolent in the whole of his conduct; hated he will be, yea, and despised and persecuted too, if he be faithful to his God, and to the souls of men. Men will account him "their enemy, if he tell them the truth":" and so universal is this effect, that "if a minister please men, he cannot be the servant of Jesus Christ"." If we would "speak unto them smooth things, and prophesy deceits, and in our life and conversation countenance their worldly habits, we might easily conciliate their regards:" "if we were of the world, the world would love its own:" but when we bear our testimony against the ways of men, we must expect them to say of us, 66 I hate Micaiah, because he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil."

Now it must be supposed that we have our feelings as well as other men; and that it can be no pleasing thing for us to render ourselves objects of contempt and hatred to all around us but we know what we have to expect: we know that "the servant cannot be above his lord; and that it is sufficient for him if he be treated as his lord." But this plainly shews, that to maintain this fidelity is no easy matter; and that, if we consulted with flesh and blood, we should "shun" the office which is sure to entail upon us such painful consequences.]

The solemn appeal which the Apostle makes respecting his fidelity, leads us to notice,

III. The importance of it to the souls of men-
It is indeed of the utmost importance,

1. To those who are ministered unto

[There is but one way by which any man can be saved; and that is the way which God has revealed to us in the Gospel. God, in his eternal counsels, "has laid a foundation for us in Zion":" and "other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christs." Whatever men may imagine, "there is salvation for us in no other: for there is no other name given under heaven whereby we can be saved, but the name of Jesus Christ'." Now, if we conceal this way of salvation, or pervert it in any respect, either by adding to it or taking from it, we must of necessity mislead the people, and, as far as they depend on us, eternally ruin their souls. To have such a pastor, is their misfortune: but it will not be considered as any excuse for them. They have the sacred records in their hands; and if they studied them with dili

n Gal. iv. 16.

q Matt. x. 24, 25. t Acts iv. 12.

o Gal. i. 10.

Isai. xxviii. 16.

p 1 Kings xxii. 8. s 1 Cor. iii. 11.

gence, and earnestly sought instruction from God, they should "be guided into all truth," and "be made wise unto salvation." If, being themselves blind, they commit themselves to the guidance of the blind, they must participate in their leaders' fate, and with them "fall into the ditch"."]

2. To those who minister

["God has committed to us the ministry of reconciliation ;" and he has said, "He that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully." To us, also, he has committed the souls to whom we minister; and he will require an account of them from us, at the day of judgment. He has placed us as watchmen, who are to care for their souls, and to give them warning from him. "O Son of man," says he, "I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked man from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it, if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul"." On his own fidelity his everlasting salvation depends. It is with him as with a sentinel at the extremity of a camp. If the enemy come, and he give the alarm, whether the enemy prevail or not, he is blameless: but if he sleep upon his post, or neglect to give the alarm, he is amenable to his commander for life that has been sacrificed, and his life must go as an atonement for his fault. If this be the case where a man is in the service of an earthly monarch, and where the bodily life only is concerned, how much more must it be so in the service of the Most High God, and where the eternal welfare of souls is committed to us! It is just; it is right that it should be so: and it is in vain to hope that we shall ever save ourselves," if we be not faithful in our endeavours to " save them that hear us."] ADDRESS

every

66

1. Those who have disregarded all the counsel that has been given them

[To many our word has appeared only as "a cunninglydevised fable," and "an idle tale." But we call you to witness, yea, and can make our appeal to God also, that we have, according to our ability, "declared unto you the whole counsel of God." And, though we have met with our measure

u Matt. xv. 14.

y Ezek. xxxiii. 7-9.

Jer. xxiii. 28. 21 Tim. iv. 16.

of discouragement, like others, we have never shrunk from our duty, or shunned to execute it to the very utmost of our power. On your own souls, therefore, must lie the guilt of neglecting God; or, as the Apostle expresses it, "Your blood must be upon your own heads: I am clean"." Yet God forbid that I should rest without further efforts for your salvation. God is not weary in waiting for you; neither would I be weary in laying before you his whole counsel. It is probable, indeed, that this may be the last time in which I shall ever behold the face of some amongst you: for though I should not be removed from you before another Sabbath, the probability is, that some one at least may be here present this day, with whom my next meeting will be at the bar of judgment. I beseech you, then, to think what an awful thing it will be to go to the judgment-seat of Christ with all your guilt upon you! Yet, if you remain impenitent and unbelieving, this must be your unhappy condition: you will "die in your sins," and endure the punishment of them to all eternity. Think me not harsh for asserting this: for, as St. Paul says, "How shall ye escape, if ye neglect so great salvation?" so St. Peter also appeals in like manner, "If judgment begin at the house of God, what shall the end be of them that obey not the Gospel of God? If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? These appeals are very forcible, because they make you judges in your own cause. I ask, then, "What must your end be? and where will you appear at the last day?" If you will say, 'In heaven,' be it so: I would to God you might! But conscience is not so blind, but that it will remonstrate against such a confidence as that. Conscience will tell you, that, if you will not obey the Gospel, but will continue to "reject the counsel of God against yourselves," you will do it at your peril; you will do it to your ruin.]

2. Those who are disposed to follow the counsel of their God

[Remember to follow "the whole of it," "without partiality and without hypocrisy." The religious world are extremely apt to forget their duty in this respect. Some place all their piety in contending for doctrines, in opposition to morals; and others, in exalting morals, to the disparagement of doctrines. Some will take one set of doctrines; and others, a set which appear opposed to them: and both will think that they are doing God service, whilst they anathematize each other; as if religion consisted in the adoption of human creeds, rather than

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in the conversion of the soul to God. But let it not be thus with you. Let the word of God, and not the word of man, be your guide. Let every thing be received from him with the simplicity of little children. And if there be in his word things which you cannot understand, sit not in judgment upon them with unhallowed confidence; but spread them before the Lord, saying, "What I know not, teach thou me." You will bear me witness, that "the whole counsel of God has been declared to you;" nor has any thing ever been kept back from you, because it did not square with this or that system of man's device. Let every part of the inspired volume be treated in the same way by you. Never be afraid to trace every thing to the sovereign counsels of your God: and, on the other hand, never forget that your condemnation is, and will be, the work of your own hands, even as your salvation is of God alone. By yourselves, indeed, must salvation be wrought instrumentally: but, if you ever attain to it, you must say," He that hath wrought us to the self-same thing, is God;" for it is altogether the fruit of his counsel, and the operation of his grace.]

MDCCCI.

WATCHFULNESS RECOMMENDED.

Acts xx. 31. Therefore watch, and remember, that, by the space of three years, I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.

IT is, for the most part, a blessing to mankind that they cannot look into futurity: for, on the one hand, they would have their present enjoyments almost entirely destroyed by the prospect of future ills, while, on the other hand, a prospect of remote good would prove but a small alleviation of their present troubles. Nevertheless, from a wise foresight of probable and contingent events, the most incalculable benefits arise. St. Paul knew, by immediate revelation from God, that, after his departure, some would be found amongst the leading members of the Ephesian Church, who would labour to introduce divisions and dissensions among them and the probability was, that, unless extraordinary watchfulness were maintained by the elders of that Church, the restless sectaries would succeed in their efforts: he therefore, in the

farewell discourse which he delivered to the elders at Miletus, put them on their guard; and thus, by forewarning them of their danger, contributed in a very high degree to the preservation of that Church in peace and purity.

From the caution contained in the words before us, we observe,

I. That to warn men of their danger is the kindest office of love

[Will any one doubt whether it was an act of love in St. Paul to warn the Ephesians: to warn them individually as well as collectively; to warn them "by night and by day," as often as he could gain access to them; to warn them with such earnestness as scarcely ever to address them without floods of "tears;" to do this incessantly, for three years together, when there was perhaps no other Church with whom he made so long an abode? However his fidelity might have been represented there, we have no doubt of the source from whence it sprang. Shall it be thought harsh then and unkind in us to warn our hearers? Who would impute it to harshness, if a parent warned his child, when walking on the brink of an unseen precipice, or playing on the hole of an asp, or cockatrice den? "We know the terrors of the Lord; and therefore we persuade men." We know, that the soul that dies in an unregenerate state can never be admitted into the kingdom of heaven: we know, that no person can be saved, who does not truly believe in Christ, and rely upon him alone for salvation: we know, that "without holiness no man shall see the Lord." On these accounts we warn the unholy, the unbelieving, the unregenerate; and intreat them to flee from the wrath to come. If we appear earnest at any time, ought we to be blamed as too zealous, or needlessly severe? No: you have infinitely more reason to complain on account of our coldness and treachery, than on account of any excess in our fidelity and earnestness. What little zeal we do shew, should be esteemed the fruit of love. And, if we could follow you from the public ordinances to your respective houses, and there renew to you separately, and with tears, the warnings we have given you in public, we should perform to you the kindest office; and most approve ourselves the servants of Him, who wept over the murderous Jerusalem, and died for the salvation of a ruined world.]

To evince that such fidelity cannot under any circumstances be dispensed with, we observe,

a John iii. 3.

b John iii. 18, 36. Phil. iii. 9.

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