"all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus their Lord." ! Their conduct has been 2 pious and holy, full of mercy and good fruits. They have studied "to be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, even in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom they have shone like lights in the world, holding forth the word of truth;" showing in their example how men ought to keep themselves unspotted from the world, and be occupied in works of Christian love and godliness day by day. They have, in short, lived as the servants of Christ, and now their appointed work being done, they" die in the Lord," full of faith and love towards Him. And He takes them unto His rest. And oh how blessed is that rest; and how happy are they that enter into it! There all is joy and peace for evermore. "There God will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away.' There no wicked person can enter, nor any evil thing, but all there are holy and happy. Do you not desire to be with them? Is it not the wish of your heart to "die the death of the righteous, and to have your last end like his ?" 4 No doubt it is. No doubt it is. God grant it may not be such a fleeting desire as that of Balaain. God grant it may be an abiding desire, animating you to holy exertion. God grant that you may be "stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." So labour, and you will enter into the heavenly rest. : 5 PRAYER. "3 O God, who hast prepared a place of heavenly rest and happiness for the faithful servants of Thy blessed Son, our Lord and Saviour, implant in us. a most earnest desire to enter into that rest, and dispose us to labour with ready mind in His holy service all the days of our life, that when our last hour shall come we may die in the Lord, and be blessed evermore with Him. Grant this, we beseech thee, for Jesus Christ's sake. II.-HOLINESS NECESSARY TO SALVATION. Heb. xii. 14.-Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. GOD himself is "glorious in holiness."1 "Holy is His name." 2 Nothing ever causes Him to swerve, even in the smallest degree, from the most perfect rectitude. His "righteousness standeth like the strong mountains," ever unshaken. The eternal salvation of all mankind is very dear to Him; but they must be sanctified and made meet for His favour before He will open the kingdom of heaven to them. They must be cleansed from all sin before He will admit them into His awful présence. "3 When God created man, He made him in "His own likeness." True wisdom directed all man's doings. He was innocent, and delighted in goodness. And he was happy, for his heart was right with God. And now, if he would recover this happiness which has been forfeited by sin, he must first recover his likeness to God. He must seek by grace to be "renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him."4 He must "put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." 5 Is there not then much for you to do before you can be "meet for the inheritance of the saints in light?" 6 What a precept is that, "Be ye holy; for I am holy,' 997 as saith the Lord. wonderfully changed before he can be said to be holy? For what is it to be holy? Is it not, that every thought should be in harmony with God's word, and every desire only good continually? Is it not that all your words and all your deeds should be "holiness to the Lord ?"-Is it not that in all things you should seek to please God well, not counting anything you have as your own, no, not even yourself; but looking upon yourself as His servant, and all you possess of time, and strength, and wealth, and understanding, and every good thing, as only committed to your stewardship? Is it not so to live every moment as one who is striving to render up his account with joy? Such is holiness; and is not such your duty? But O blessed Jesus, if this is what man owes to his God, how do we need thy cleansing blood to wash out the crimson dye of our manifold transgressions! And how fervent, how unwearied we ought to be in prayer for Thy sanctifying Spirit "to renew us day by day,"1 and to bring us to the temper and conduct of saints indeed! Yea, how diligent ought we to be ourselves after our power to "perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord."2 that we may be graciously permitted to behold the Lord in glory, and dwell for ever among the spirits of just men made perfect in heaven. Must not the natural man be PRAYER. O God, who art the fountain of all holiness, and who hast taught us that without holiness no man shall see Thy face, grant us, we beseech thee, such abundant grace that we may always carefully flee from evil and follow after that which is good, perfecting holiness in Thy fear and love; so that at the last Thou mayest not disdain to admit us into Thy presence, where is the fulness of joy for evermore. Hear us, O God, in the multitude of Thy mercies, and for the infinite merits of Thy dear Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. III.-MAN'S SINFULNESS. Ps. xl. 12.-Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of my head: therefore my heart faileth me. 1 "THE law of the Lord is perfect." It allows of no sin. It claims entire dominion over the hearts of men, and requires holiness in the inward parts. It reaches to every particular of conduct, and regulates every word and every action. "Who then can understand his errors?" 2 Who can number up his sins? Day by day they have been multiplied, and many aggravations have been added to them, till they have grown up to a great height; and to the man who has become conscious of them, they are, "like a sore burden, too heavy for him to bear." He is ashamed to look up, because he well knows there has been much of wilfulness in them as well as of weakness. Yea, he is afraid of God's wrath, which he feels to be most righteously deserved, and his heart faileth him for fear. Truly, "it is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not: they are new every morning." In the abundance of His lovingkindness He hath opened a door of reconciliation to those who truly repent, and seek for pardon through the blood of the cross. Let us humbly and devoutly "look on Him whom we have pierced" by our sins, and He will save us. Here is the sinner's hope. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for so great a consolation, so unspeakable a benefit! 4 It is painful and humiliating to discover how greatly and grievously we have sinned. But how wholesome it is thus to know what manner of persons we are, and what is the malady and what the danger of our souls! Do you find that the law of God condemns you? 1 Ps. xix. 7. 2 Ps. xix. 12. 3 Lam. iii. 22, 23. 4 Zec. xii. 10. you Close not your ears to its rebukes. Does your own conscience smite you? Do not speak peace to it when there is no peace. Rather seek to know yourself as God knows you, and to examine your conduct by the light of His holy word. Do you fear that it will humble you to the dust, and make you loathe yourself in your own eyes for all the evils that you have done? It will do so. But then, when it has broken the hard heart of pride, and made you to feel your own unworthiness and wretchedness, it will "prepare the way of the Lord" within you. And while it makes you to feel your need of a Saviour and Intercessor, it will dispose you to welcome and to rejoice in God's pardoning love through Christ Jesus. And then, if will look unto the Lord in singleness of heart, there will grow up within you a willingness to receive His commandments, and to walk in the paths of righteousness with diligence. Hear how graciously the Lord speaks: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls; for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Take courage, then, from these comfortable words. Go but to Christ with a humble and penitent heart, and He will wash away your sins, and ease you of your burden. He will make His "service" seem "perfect freedom," a blessed and happy occupation, for it will be a service of love. PRAYER. 1 O most holy and merciful God, teach us to know ourselves, and to bewail our sinfulness with sincere and contrite hearts. And in the sad hour of selfreproach and conviction of sin, leave us not comfortless, we most humbly beseech Thee, but refresh us with the sense of thine infinite compassion to penitent 1 Matt. xi. 28, 29, 30. |