looks down from his sanctuary, and beholds them; the very groanings of his prisoners enter into the ear of the Lord. How do you stand affected to the public worship of God? Is the day of the Lord a tiresome and a tedious day? Are you ready to say, When shall it be over? when shall we return to the busy scenes of our worldly calling and commerce? Are the discourses delivered, the services performed before you, welcome? Are you fain to go away, and reluctant to come to the house of God? If so, you have no union yet with the Divine Mind-no sympathy with the Eternal Spirit; and till some change takes place, it is impossible that heaven shall be yours. The very employment of heaven would be to you a source of disquiet. There must be a love of the worship of God, and a love of the Author of that worship -there must be a worshipping frame of mind infused into the heart of every individual, before he can see God face to face. All the earth shall see the glory of God; for what purpose, then, does He manifest that glory but that He may be adored, and that all may fall down before him, and worship him and the Lamb forever and ever? He reveals it for the purpose of drawing forth the prayers, and the praises, and the thanksgivings of his people, according to their circumstances, and with a view to be the object of their worship. If you do not love the worship of God, no manifestation of God to you will be tolerable: He will manifest himself to you, either in vengeance to vindicate his cause; or He will manifest himself to you as the object of worship, and the object of supreme delight, and as that Being from whom all your happiness is to be derived. Oh, recollect the time is coming when you are lost if God is not all in all to you. God is all in all in heaven; and there his saints who follow him here faithfully, but feebly, worship him day and night; there they see him face to face, and worship him forever and forever.

There are many, I doubt not, that can put their own attestation to the truth of this sentiment, and who can say that they love the gates of Zion more than the dwellings of Jacob. Their most privileged moments are the moments of public worship: the fellowship of the saints is the most select and precious of their moments in their esteem. Such are training in the Church, to be transferred and transplanted to the worship of heaven: their faith will be turned into vision; that which they hoped for they will receive face to face. That which they are pursuing is not a shadow; there is an eternal heaven-there is an ever-living God-there is an innumerable company of spirits made perfect-there is a scene of elevated worship in Zion which shall be of eternal duration. These are without the reach of human ken, but they are confirmed by the promise of Him that cannot lie; and these are the true sayings of God: "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God."

Let us do all in our power to promote the honour of God-to enlarge the means of instruction-to extend the influence of the Christian ministry-and to form new societies, as so many habitations of God through the Spirit. If we have tasted the advantages of social worship, let us be desirous of communicating these advantages to our fel

low-creatures; and look with compassion on those inhabitants of this highly-favoured city who are sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, as if they were dwelling in pagan countries. Let us make haste to remove this reproach; let us each use his efforts to put an end to it, and to diffuse the knowledge of Jesus Christ farther and fa ther.

XXI

PRAYER FOR THE PROSPERITY OF THE CHURCH

ENCOURAGED.*

PSALM CXxii., 6: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper

that love thee.

[Preached at Broadmead, Bristol, Thursday evening, June 10, 1830, preparatory to the Lord's Supper.]

THE Psalm which contains these words is ascribed to David. it breathes the spirit of piety and patriotism by which he was distinguished. Many things concurred to render Jerusalem a place of peculiar interest to the Israelites: as the metropolis of the Holy Land, it concentred their affections; no people were ever more remarkable for attachment to their king, their laws, and their God. It reminds us of the Church of God, as it was the scene of the temple and its ordinances. "Thither the tribes went up, the tribes of the Lord, to give thanks to the name of the Lord." We may consider that, in the text, a blessing is promised to every one that loves the Church of God, every one that desires to promote the interest of religion.

We have here an object for prayer proposed, an exhortation to pray for this object, and a promise to those who comply with the exhortation.

I. "The peace of Jerusalem" is proposed as an object for prayer. "Peace" is here used to denote prosperity, all that is good. The Psalmist thus explains it in the succeeding verse: "Peace be within thy walls, prosperity within thy palaces." The word, taken in this large acceptation, was customary among the Israelites; they wished "peace" to each other, in the sense of "all good things." The prosperity of the Church consists, not in one thing, but many; and,

1. The piety of its members. Their numbers, without this, are as nothing. A church without piety is a synagogue of Satan, a sect and school of pestilence. The measure of piety in a church is the measure of prosperity. Without this, however rich, it is poor; however outwardly flourishing, inwardly wretched. Where the love of God, the faith of Jesus Christ, the fruits

From the notes of the Rev. T. Grinfield.

of the Spirit abound, there the Church is in a state of prosperity, however afflicted in outward circumstances. As members of the Church, we profess to make ourselves over to the Father, Son; and Spirit; if we keep back our hearts from God, if we transfer our affections to the world, we are not true members of the Church; our profession is false and hollow.

2. A spirit of inquiry, promoting conversion, is a second sign of prosperity in a church. If the word of God is not a savour of life, it is not of a neutral character, it becomes a savour of death; this is the condition of a church in decay and death. In the opposite state, where penitents are inquiring, where converts are added to the Church and to the Lord, there Christianity triumphs, there the Church has "peace within her walls, prosperity within her palaces."

3. A third feature of church prosperity is the prevalence of brotherly love; the spirit of union among the members; the disposition to bear one another's burdens, relieve one another's wants and sorrows. "By this we know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren." There is always room in the Church for a perpetual increase in love. This is the mind of Christ, and He prescribes it as his own new commandment, as the distinguishing characteristic of his true disciples. How lovely a spectacle does that church present in which brotherly love prevails! no jarring passions, no envious competitions; but a delightful retirement from the troubles of the world. It is when Christians preserve "the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace," that the prosperity of the Church of Christ peculiarly appears.*

4. Conscientious and diligent attendance on all the ordinances of religion, public and domestic, is a fourth requisite to the prosperity of a Christian society. Neglect of these is contagious among the members, and fatal to the well-being of a church. All should conspire to strengthen the hands of their ministers and their brethren, by an attentive observance of the appointed means, of grace.

5. To this must be added, as a fifth point, the due exercise of church discipline.† The precious must be discriminated from,

"Might we indulge a hope that not only our own denomination, but every other description of Christians, would act upon these principles of mutual forbearance and charity, we should hail the dawn of a brighter day than the annals of time have yet recorded; we should behold in the Church a peaceful haven, inviting us to retire from the tossings and perils of this unquiet ocean, to a sacred enclosure, a sequestered spot, which the storms of the world were not permitted to invade."-R. HALL, On Terms of Communion.

The following passage, from the "Treatise on Terms of Communion," will be read with solemn admiration: "I am far from thinking lightly of the spiritual power with which Christ has armed his Church. It is a high and mysterious power, which has no parallel on earth. The sentence of excommunication, in particular, harmonizing with the dictates of conscience, and re-echoed by her voice, is truly terrible; it is the voice of God, speaking through its legitimate organ, which he who despises ranks with heathen men, joins the synagogue of Satan, and takes his lot with an unbelieving world, doomed to perdition Excommunication is a sword which, strong in its apparent weakness, and the sharper and more efficacious for being divested of all sensible and exterior envelopements, lights immediately on the spirit, and inflicts a wound which no balm can cure, no ointment can mollify, but which must continue to ulcerate and burn, until it be healed by the blood of atonement, applied by penitence and prayer."

the vile, the wheat from the tares. Spiritual censures should be administered, as cases may require; otherwise disorders must arise and spread. It is recorded, to the commendation of one of the seven churches of Asia, "thou canst not bear them that are evil." Openly immoral professors must be excommunicated, regarded as heathen, given up to Satan, according to the injunction of St. Paul. Without discipline in a church, Christianity has no safeguard from all manner of abuse and reproach. And here there should be no respect of persons; we must "know no man after the flesh."

II. The exhortation is, that we should "pray for the peace of Jerusalem." This we must do, because the influence of the Holy Spirit, a direct action of God upon the soul, is necessary to realize the prosperity of the Church; it must be obtained, therefore, by prayer. So the Psalmist prayed, "Let Thy work appear to Thy servants, Thy glory to their children!" God only can command a decisive blessing; exert a mighty energy; shine into the heart; plant the seed of all spiritual renovation. Where the Church is to prosper, men must be born of God: a birth to which none can contribute without his aid; in the production of which, the gospel is his own appointed instrument. We must look to God alone for the success of his word, and remove far from us all that is offensive to his holy mind. There should be stated seasons of prayer for the Divine blessing on the Church; its prosperity will thus be secured, because it is his own concern; it is the sphere in which his glory is displayed; while it provides the only means of saving men. We should pray that He may set his hand a second time to his work, as it concerns the success of his Church.

III. The promise connected with the exhortation in the text ensures their own prosperity to those who seek that of the Church. They shall prosper that love thee."

It is a serious injury to be united to a dead, a merely formal church; a great advantage, to hold communion with one that is spiritually alive. "As iron sharpens iron, so does the countenance of a man his friend." The saints admonish and animate each other by their example, and thus a higher standard of religious character is maintained. We are easily reconciled to what is established and familiar; this should be purely good in a Christian society. Besides which, our love to that Church, which is so dear to God, cannot but attract his smile and obtain his favour. The Lord loves Zion, desires her prosperity, and says concerning her, "This is the place of My rest; here will I dwell, for here is My delight." Disdaining all the grandeur of the world, He fixes his love on his Church, as "the place where his honour dwells." Jesus Christ so loved the Church that He gave himself for it; and therefore He looks with complacency on those who sympathize with his affection, who concur with his desire, who act upon his plan, in unison with his purpose. This is the

1

character of all good men; they are zealous for the Church of God, and, according to his promise, they must prosper, at least, in the great and only important view of prosperity, in their own souls. Would you enjoy this spiritual prosperity? Seek the good of the Church. Would you be blessed in your personal experience? Be yourselves a medium of blessing to others. Let your inquiry be, "How can I promote the glory of God in the church to which I belong? Whom can I reclaim? Whom can I benefit and comfort ?" And, be assured, your happy experience will attest that it is the Life of truth who proclaimed, "They shall prosper that love Jerusalem;" peace shall be on them that pray for peace on the Israel of God.

XXII.

THE DUTY OF CHRISTIANS TO THE MEN OF THE WORLD.* COL., iv., 5: Walk in wisdom towards them that are without.

[Preached at Broadmead, Bristol, April 19, 1829.]

THE former part of this epistle contains many striking remarks on the great leading truths of religion; the latter abounds in general observations on the conduct which Christians should manifest towards each other. In the passage before us we have a precept of a different kind-a precept to regulate our conduct towards the ungodly. In the times the apostles wrote, the line which separated the Church from the world was very distinct; those who did not openly avow attachment to Christ, were to be considered as enemies. These two classes comprehend all mankind, of every rank and degree. Such remarks will, in fact, apply to present times, with a slight qualification. There has another class of character sprung up-persons who do not make an open profession of religion, but manifest a general interest in its concerns, and would be shocked to be reckoned among its foes. This precept, therefore, does not suggest any particular line of conduct to be pursued towards them, but towards those who are confessedly strangers to the commonwealth of Israel, who, whatever may be the amiable qualities they possess, make no pretensions to religion, and are truly of the world.

Now, in reference to these persons, who are in the text described as being without, we are to walk in wisdom; that is, we are to conduct ourselves in such a way as will prevent these persons from drawing any argument from our deportment unfavourable to Christianity, or which may serve as an excuse for their own hostility to it. And here I may remind you that this

* Reported in the Evangelist,