صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

Lord, and my God. Were it not for this possessive pronoun my, the devil may use the creed as well as the christian; for he believes and trembles; he knows that he is Lord and God-but not his, either to serve, or enjoy. And without this such a Being is terrible; especially when we know, that unless he is our friend, he is our enemy. But to hear him saying, "I am thine, " and all that I have ;" to take hold of his covenant and say, all these blessings are mine; to" encourage our"selves in the Lord our God, and say, " thou art my "portion and refuge in the land of the living; whom "have I in heaven but thee, and there is none upon "earth that I desire beside thee"....what реасс, what joy must such a blessed confidence inspire!

"....My beloved is mine, and I am his; he loved me, and gave himself for me"....what then can trouble me? What can alarm me? What can I want ? He is able to do for me exceeding abundantly, above all I ask or think, His perfections are mine, his providence is mine, his promises are mine....mine is the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to

come.

[ocr errors]

Till we attain this blessed hope, we are strangers to some of the most pleasing parts of the christian life. But how can we attain it ?....Be his; and he will be your's. Call him your Lord in a way of service, and he will own himself to be your God in a way of privilege. For there is a connexion between these....if you have chosen him, be assured he has chosen you; and if you love him, be assured he has loved you. For the one is the consequence, and therefore the evidence of the other.

Many are ready to call him their God, who do not honor him as their Lord: they boast of communion with him, but do not live in a state of subjection to him. Now this is awful. For if you are not his to serve....you have no reason to conclude that he is your's to save.

This is the way....to ascend from that which is more

[blocks in formation]

clear, to that which is less obvious. The christian cannot always say he is mine....but when is it that he cannot say I am thine? Thine to seek thee, and obey thee ....thine only and wholly....and for ever thine ?

If for the present you are unable to say with David, thou hast given me the heritage of them that fear thy name....go on, praying as he did....and you shall not pray in vain...." Remember me, O Lord, with the favor that "thou bearest unto thy people: O visit me with thy "salvation: that I may see the good of thy chosen, "that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that "I may glory with thine inheritance."

"Now the God of peace, that brought again from "the dead our Lord Jesus that great shepherd of the "sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, "make you perfect in every good work to do his will, "working in you that which is well pleasing in his "sight, through Jesus Christ: to whom be glory for "ever and over." Amen.

DISCOURSE XIX.

CONTENTMENT WITH LITTLE.

And having food and raiment, let us be therewith content.... 1. Tim. vi. 8.

WHEN Jacob was going from Beersheba to Haran,

he was indulged with a very remarkable vision. It was designed to encourage him in the dangers and difficulties of his journey. It deeply impressed his mind, and drew forth his devotion-and on this occasion we are told that "he vowed a vow, saying if God will be with "me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give "me bread to eat, and raiment to put on; so that I " come again to my father's house in peace: then shall "the Lord be my God. And this stone, which I have "set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that "thou shalt give me, I will surely give the tenth unto "thee."

What I admire is the moderation of Jacob's desire with regard to temporal supplies. He does not stipu late for affluence, power, honor, splendid equipage: he does not ask for delicacies, or dainties-but only for conveniences: but only for necessaries" bread to “eat, and raiment to put on."

His example holds forth a rule, by which every good man's disposition should be governed, with regard to the things of this life. It is the admonition of the apostle: "Having food and raiment, let us be there"with content."

Is it then unlawful for a christian to be rich? Is he bound to refuse worldly advantages when they come

But he is not to be

fairly in his way ? By no means. worldly minded-he is not to seek great things for himself he is not to toil and grasp, and covet like others he is not to be fretful and miserable when certain enjoyments are denied him. A christian is to guard against extravagant desires, and to be satisfied with little. To inspire you with this moderation, let me lead you to contemplate a few objects which have a tendency to enforce it.

And, I. Let us consider the necessities of nature. These are few and simple, and easily satisfied. For we should distinguish between real and artificial wants. Civilization has rendered the latter far more numerous than the former: and more of our fellow creatures are employed in providing for the one, than the other. We are inspired with false maxims of living; we deem a thousand things indispensable, which are not essential to our welfare. The trial is often made; there are many who pass through life destitute of those things, which are commonly supposed to be requisite to our well being, but do they not live as long, as healthy, and as happy as the heirs of abundance? Yea, do they not in general, live longer, and healthier, and happier ? Especially are they not free from those maladies which arise from indulgence, variety, repletion, ease and the want of labor. Hence, you will find that the rich, if wise, live as much as possible like the poor, confining themselves to the simplicity of nature, and doing many things voluntarily, which the lower classes are constrained to do from necessity.

In reference to happiness, a man only has what he can use. If he possesses a thousand pounds which he cannot use, it matters not as to the benefit he derives from it, whether it be in his coffer, or in the bowels of the earth. When his wants are supplied, all that remains is his only to keep, or to give away-but not to enjoy. What is more than serviceable, is superiluous and needless and the man is only rich in fancy. Nature is satisfied with little; it is vanity, it is avarice, it is luxu

ry, it is independence, it is the God of this world, that urges us to demand more.

We should do well to consider, II. the insufficiency of the creature. When you see men dissatisfied with what they have, and all anxiety and exertion to amass an abundance of this world's goods, we should imagine that there was a superlative excellency in these things, and that our happiness absolutely depended upon then. But it is not only our Saviour that has told us that “a "man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the "things which he possesseth." Happiness is an internal thing. A good man shall be satisfied from himself. He has a source of pleasure, independent of external events, and which shall survive the dissolution of the globe. It is not the water without the vessel that sinks it, but that which is admitted in. Paul and Silas could sing praises at midnight in the inner prison, when their feet were made fast in the stocks, and their backs bruised with the scourge. The world promises only to deceive, and fails us when we most need its aid. People have risen to affluence and splendor....but their desires increased with indulgence: and they found themselves no nearer satisfaction than before. Yea, they learned what common sense would have told them before, that hills were more exposed than vallies....that the larger space we occupy, the wider mark are we for the arrows of disappointment....that the longer our robes are, the more likely are they to be torn or soiled. Care is an evil spirit that haunts fine houses and large estates: "in the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in "straits." Solomon had more than food and raiment. A thousand streams emptied themselves into his cup of prosperity. He with-held his heart from no joy. And what is his conclusion? Vanity of vanities....all is vanity, and vexation of spirit. What can the greatest abundance do for a man? A pain in the tooth will destroy all the sense of pleasure the good things of this world can afford. None of them can reach the soul; and the mind is the man. None of them can calm the

YOL. II.

i

« السابقةمتابعة »