Tracts for the Christian Seasons. SECOND SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. Neglecting God's calls. PROPER LESSONS: Morning, Judges iv.; Evening, Judges v. MUCH of the misery which we see comes from men's neglecting the calls of God. In saying this I do not speak of God's calls in the sense in which men generally take the word. Generally men mean by a call nothing more than a warning sent by God to those who are living a godless or a useless life, to arouse them, and turn them, if they will be turned, to repentance, or diligence in the work of their souls. In this sense, sickness and loss, danger and disappointment, afflictions generally, and besides these, sermons, and books, the news of another sinner's misery or sudden death, the sight of God's wonders of fear and love in His earth and sky, or the secret voice, the last voice, the last remonstrance of conscience, and of God's Holy Spirit speaking through conscience, are calls, calls to a change of life, to forsake at last a long course of gross sin or worldliness, and bring forth worthy fruits of penance. Unfortunately those who generally discern these calls and speak of them, forget that such Christians as have them had received a call long before, a call to forsake sin and follow God with all their heart. They look upon these last calls as the first; taking the latest beams of the sun for dawn, and the flowers which at a risk open in the beginning of winter for the growth of the soft sweet spring. God had not so left these unhappy persons who stand in need of such calls, thus uncared for, and unhelped all their lives long. He did not yield them to an unsanctified youth, and a godless manhood, and only seek them when the best of their life was spent, only when their hearts were hardened, and sinful habits had become a second nature, and religion very difficult and gloomy, all penitence and no rejoicing, all fast and no feast. Far be this from the truth. Jesus Christ who has redeemed manhood, and youth, and childhood, and infancy, each and all, has vouchsafed to sanctify these, not only in His own person, but in those of His people. A holy childhood, a pure youth, a religious manhood are His delight, and for all these He has provided. For, taking little children in His arms and folding them to His bosom He drew them at once, and from the first, out of the world and away from it; made them His and Himself theirs; washed away their sins in the waters of Baptism; filled them with His Spirit; called His name upon them, and gave them a call and calling to follow Him faithfully all their life long, so that starting from Him and keeping close to Him they might for ever have Him and hence the children of God, when asked whether they do not feel bound to believe and obey in their childhood, joyfully reply, : "Yes, verily; and by God's help so I will, and I heartily thank our heavenly Father, that He hath called me to this state of salvation, through Jesus Christ our Saviour. And I pray unto God to give me His grace, that I may continue in the same unto my life's end." Now this first and great call is that which people neglect and forget, and because they do so, they need others, and when they receive them they misunderstand them. But we cannot now go farther into this. We are about to speak of a kind of call different from both of these, different from the general calls to holiness which we receive first at our Baptism, and afterwards by God's overflowing and unmerited grace, when from that baptismal promise and gift we have fallen away. The Scriptures of the day lead our thoughts to the more particular calls of God, whether to some higher duty, or some higher grace than we had hitherto rested in. In the first lessons we read that Barak was summoned by Deborah to deliver God's people from their enemies. This was a great privilege to which he was called. He would have been protected and rewarded. But he declined to obey the call and lost the glory intended for him. "If thou wilt go with me," he replied, "then I will go but if thou wilt not go with me then I will not go." And she said, "I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour, for the Lord shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman." And the same neglect of calls, and history of duties neglected, and blessings lost, appears in the account of the tribes as well as of their leader. divisions of Reuben there were great thoughts of heart. Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds to hear the bleatings of the flocks? Gilead abode beyond Jordan: and why did Dan remain in "For the ships? Asher continued on the sea shore, and abode in his breaches." "Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty." A loss of glory and God's favour, a bitter curse once received for being backward to hear His call and their punishment appears greater beside the reward of the obedient. : Zebulon and Napthali were a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death. This is their praise unto the world's end, wherever these Scriptures shall be read. It goes on from age to age like the ointment of Mary, and the alms of the widow. Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent. So also in the Gospel the guests invited to the supper one after another made excuse and refused, and the end was that the honour and pleasure intended for them was for ever taken away, "I say unto you that none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper." Again, Moses was chosen to deliver God's message to Pharaoh. It was an unspeakable honour. He felt afraid however. He doubted |