Judas and the foolish virgins awfully exemplified it — e 3. Will not a feigned allegiance be discovered by him? [We may easily deceive our fellow-creaturesBut every motion of our hearts is vifible to Chrift Nor can the moft fpecious appearances deceive him — In his final judgment he will fhew that he was privy to our moft fecret thoughts and defires --] 4. Shall we not with at laft that we had been fincere and upright? [The reproach which attends the exercife of real religion, may make us fatisfied with the form of it at prefent But in the day of judgment we shall fee our folly — We fhall not know what to reply to this question then— ́ The vain excufes we now make we shall not even dare to offer-] APPLICATION [Let all then feek to become Chriftians indeedLet us not be afraid to confefs our Lord before menBut let our lives be confiftent with our profeflionsLet us truft in the Lord as fimply as if obedience were not required Let us obey the Lord as zealously as if obedience only were required-] 4 Matt. xxv. 3, 11, 12. h 1 Cor. iv. 5 e Matt. vii. 21-23. 8 John ii. 24, 25. i Wifd. v. 1-9. LXIV. AN EXHORTATION TO CARELESS SINNERS. Eph. v. 14. Awake, thou that fleepest, and arife from the dead, and Chrift shall give thee light. THERE is a harmony in the Scriptures which many overlook and deftroy Detached paffages are often wrefted to establish a favourite fyftem a But the various truths of God fhould be viewed as they stand connected with each other There Calls to duty are fuppofed to imply the fufficiency of man to do the will of God; while the confeffions or petitions of the faints, and the promises of divine aid given to them, are brought to juftify a negligence in the use of means. There would then be diverfity indeed, but no contrariety between them b This obfervation will throw light, as on many other parts of Scripture, fo on that before us in particular; in which we have I. A command The Scripture abounds with useful and inftructive metaphors- Our ftate is here reprefented under the images of fleep and death Sleep implies a state of inactivity and fecurity [Men are bafily employed about their worldly concernsBut a lamentable fupinenefs prevails with refpect to fpiritual things The generality do not apprehend their fouls to be in any danger Death, judgment, heaven, and hell, do not feem worthy their notice God's threatenings against them are denounced without effect 66 They are like Jonah, fleeping in the midst of a stormHence they are defcribed as at eafe from their youth". To the fame effect is the teftimony of him that fearcheth the heart -] Death includes the ideas of impotence and corruption [An inanimate body cannot perform any of the functions of life It has within itself the feeds and principles of corruption— The foul alfo, till quickened from the dead, is in a state of impotence It is incapable of fpiritual action or difcernment — Its powers and faculties are altogether vitiated f— Whatever is loath fome and offenfive to God proceeds from it % So true is that humiliating declaration !—] Yet, notwithstanding this ftate appears fo defperate, we muft God gives a command, Ezek. xviii. 31. David, knowing his duty, and feeling his inability to perform it, had long before prefented this to God in the form of a petition, Pf. li. 10. And God, to encourage fuch applications to him, promifes to work in us that which he requires of us, Ezek. xxxvi. 26. Jer. xlviii. 11. • John xv. 5. 1 Cor. ii, 14. Mark vii. 21, 22. d Pf. x. 4, 5. f Rom. vii. 18. Job xv. 14-16. muft address, to every one that is under it, the command, "Awake," &c. [Your inactivity and fecurity involve you in the deepest. guilt Your corruption of heart and life provokes the majesty of God Nor is your impotence any excufe for your difobedienceIt is your love of fin that difables you for duty Nor is God deprived of his right to command, though you have loft your power to obey- Let every one then ftrive to comply with this heavenly call They who exert their feeble powers may expect divine affiftance To convince us that none fhall fail who ufe the appointed means, God enforces his cominand with. II. A promise Sleep and death are states of intellectual darknessHence light is promifed to thofe who obey the divine mandate Light in Scripture imports knowledge, holinefs', comfort", and glory And all thefe bleffings fhall they receive from Christ, the fountain of light Knowledge of [Spiritual knowledge every natural man ftands in need Nor is it attainable by the teaching of men, or the efforts of genius P We can receive it from none but Chrift Hence Chrift invites us to come to him for it Nor fhall an application to him ever fail of fuccefs '—] [A despair of attaining this deters many from feeking it They See Matt. xii. 10, 13. The man with the withered hand was unable to stretch it forth; but in attempting to obey, he was endued with strength. * Ifai. viii. 20. VOL. I, 11 John i. 7. • Mal. iv. 2. John i. 9. m Pf. xcvii. 11. P Matt. xi. 25. Matt. xi. 29. - • Pf. xxv. 9. Prov. ii. 3—6. FF They think their inveterate habits cannot be rooted out*— But Chrift is our "fanctification" as well as our wifdom"His very name encourages us to expect deliverance from him * And he will fulfil the promifes which he has made to this effect-] Comfort [A fenfe of guilt fhall yield to holy joy * Deplored weaknefs fhall be fucceeded by a divine energy It fhall far tranfcend all earthly pleasures -] Glory [Our Lord will not confine his bleffings to this worldHe will raife his people to thrones of glory He will caufe thein to participate his own inheritanceHe will be the ground and object of their joy for ever *—] APPLICATION [What greater encouragement can any one defire?— What richer promifes can any one conceive? How fuited are they to our neceffities!— Let every one confider the command as addreffed to himself; "Awake, Thou” Let all our powers and faculties be called forth to actionIn exerting ourfelves let us expect the promised aid— Thus fhall we be eternal monuments of Chrift's power and grace-] Joel iii. 13. Put ye in the fickle; for the harveft is ripe. THIS is a reinarkable prophecy of the deftruction of God's enemies The The prophet fummons the executioners of vengeance to come up against them They are reprefented as a field of corn The command is given to cut them down; and the prophet inftantly fees them fall; "multitudes," &c. Our Lord delivers a parable refembling this in reference to the whole world In a fimilar manner we fhall improve the paffage before us, by enquiring I. What it is that makes us ripe for the great harvest up There is a ripeness to which every one must attain— The wicked have a measure of fin which they muft fill b The righteous have degrees of holinefs for which they are referved There are growing in the world both tares and wheat→→→ [It unfits the foul for the enjoyment of GodIt renders a perfon meet for deftruction — It creates many horrors, which are foretastes of hell itself-] Holiness is ripening others for glory [It unfits the foul for the fociety of the wickedIt induces a meetnefs for the heavenly inheritanceIt is a fource of joys which shall be confummated in glory-] The holy Scriptures enable us to difcern II. What a The valley of Jehofaphat, or of decifion, to which they are fummoned, ver. 12, 14. feems to be not any particular place: It may rather be confidered as an allufion to the utter deftruction which his enemies (the Syrians, Affyrians, Babylonians, Perfians, Grecians, and Romans) fhould fucceffively bring on each other. And it may have a further reference to the deftruction of Antichrift, and of the wicked at the last day. C Gen. xv. 16. Eph. iv. 7, 13. Not that there is any general standard either of fin or holiness to which all perfons must attain: There is no degree of fin to which any fhall be impelled against their will; nor of holiness, which any fhall be prevented from furpaffing. But fome are kept from more fin, and others are excited to more holiness, by the preventing or aflifting grace of God; for finners would commit more fin anless prevented, and faints attain lefs holiness unless excited. • As dry wood for the fire. See Luke xxiii. 31. |