SERMON IX.

TENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY.

LUKE Xix. 44.

The time of thy visitation.

WHEN God Almighty interposes in a direct and remarkable manner in the affairs of a person or nation, He is said to visit that person or nation. To say that He then interposes, is, of course, only a manner of speech accommodated to our frailty, for He rules all things always, and nothing happens any where to any one without His express permission; but, so we speak, and so Scripture speaks, to denote what are turning points and decisive events in the career of individuals and nations. Thus, God visited Abraham

when He called him; He visited Sarah in His mercy when He gave her a son; He visited the Israelites in Egypt, when He sent Moses to deliver them; He visited His people by the coming of the Messiah; and again, as He had visited Edom and Babylon and Tyre, so He visited Jerusalem, to its destruction, when not one stone was left upon another within her. I said, but now, that these visitations are decisive events in the career of individuals or nations; but it may be more correct to say, that the decisive thing is their being known or not known by the subjects of them. To know the time of one's visitation is, so far, salvation; not to know the time of one's visitation is, so far, perdition. God's servants know it; those who reject Him do not know it; and their not knowing it (being the result of their rejecting Him) is their rejection by Him. He is thus said to know those that know Him, and not to know those who know Him not. Now this fact, that those whom He visits to their condemnation often do not

know it at the time, is a thing of most awful import. For since, as was said, and as Christians acknowledge to be true, nothing happens without God's permission, it is plain, that in every thing that does happen to us, God is, in some way or other, visiting us; and our consciousness or unconsciousness of this, and consequent conduct, marks us as His people or not His people. The idea of this life as a period of probation turns ultimately, if not altogether, on this. The use we make of all we have, and of all that befals us; the manner in which we behave under what befals us, shews our character, and decides our lot. Thus the Psalmist, speaking in the character of the righteous, says, "I have set God always before me; for He is on my right hand, therefore I shall not falla." I have set God always before me," i. e. I ever remember Him as present, and watching all my deeds and words and thoughts. I know that He is always visiting me. Of the wicked, on

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* Psalm xvi. 8.

the other hand, it is said, that "in all their thoughts God is not":" they "forget God," and the consequent doom is, "they shall be turned into hell"."

So then, though we rightly call God's special and marked interventions His visitations, we must be careful how we allow ourselves to fall into security, and think that, because to-day is as yesterday, this is not the time of our visitation. We Christians especially; for God has visited us in a most especial way. "For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch ";" and, like a certain nobleman, who went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return; and called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come."

God's last great visitation of his Church

b Psalm x. 4.

xiii. 34.

c Psalm ix. 7.

e Luke xix. 12, 13.

d Mark

was on the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Ghost visited it; and, since then, His divers gifts have been the portion of His Church, with which she is to "occupy" till her Lord come again to take account. And the same Holy Ghost visited each of us at our Baptism, dividing to every one severally as He would. To every one of us "the Spirit is given to profit withal'." Are we profiting accordingly? There are "diversities of operations" of the same Spirit going on in and about us. Are we working with Him? even working out our own salvation? There are" differences of ministrations;" are we so ruling our life as to make them minister to our salvation, or are we neglecting the gift to our damnation? Behold, now is the appointed time. Now. This is the day of our visitation; whatever be our station in life; whatever our circumstances; be we high, be we low; be we prosperous, be we unfortunate; whatever our time of life, be we old, be we young; this is the day of