as ministers of the Gospel, whether it be to change the heart of the open sinner, or to strengthen the faith of the young believer, or to edify and build up, and advance the mature Christian, we find that the one great subject which alone carries with it the blessing of GOD to these great and important ends, is the subject which our Lord himself preached in the synagogue of Nazareth, namely, Jesus Christ the Saviour of the poor-the deliverer of the captive-the restorer of sight to the blind-the healer of the broken hearted-the power and the wisdom of GOD to every soul that believeth. That he may, by the Spirit of grace, be present in our souls this day, may God in his mercy grant for Jesu's sake.—Amen. A Sermon, DELIVERED BY THE REV. W. JAY, AT SURRY CHAPEL, JUNE 2, 1833. 1 Peter, v. 10, 11.-" The God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.-Amen." settle you. My brethren, the first object of the Christian ministry, is the conversion of sinners; and the Saviour says to every messenger he employs, as he said to Saul of Tarsus, "I send thee to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness unto light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me." The next object is the improvement of those who are already converted; for those who are born again, must be nourished up in the words of faith and sound doctrine-they must not only enter the way everlasting but go forward-they must not only be planted, but watered, and rooted, and grounded in love. To change the metaphor, not only must their religion be solidly based, but they must build up themselves in their most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keeping themselves in the love of GOD, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 66 Therefore," says Paul to the Thessalonians, "We sent Timothy, our brother, and minister of GOD, and our fellow labourer in the Gospel of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith." Hence we read, that when Apollos came to Antioch, he "helped them much who had believed through grace." Hence too the language we have now to examine and improve: "The GoD of all grace," says Peter," who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.-Amen." Here we have A CHARACTER-" the GoD of all grace." Here we have AN OPERATION "who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus." Here we have A CONCESSION- "after that ye have suffered a while." Here we have A PRAYER" make you perfect, stab lish, strengthen, settle you." Here unto us, Lord, not unto us but unto cles, with a brevity more proportioned to the limits of the exercise, than to the amplitude of the subject. Now from this grace GoD is cha Let us now review these five arti-racterized; and there are two things which will serve to show the greatness of the title, when he is called, the GoD of all grace." In the first place, from Him is derived all the grace ever possessed by any individual from the beginning of the world. He inspired Enoch with his holinessAbraham with his faith-Noah with his dedication to himself-Moses with his meekness-Job with his patience We have here, first, A CHARACTER -the character of the blessed GOD"the GOD of all grace." Grace is the darling word of inspiration, and it is the darling word of all those, who have come here this morning, not to glory in their own worthiness and works with the Pharisee, but exclaiming with the Publican, "GOD be merciful to me a sinner."— "Grace how exceeding sweet to those, Now our salvation, as to the contrivance of it before time-the execution of it in time-the consummation of it when time shall be no more, is the offspring of this grace entirely; and, therefore, the Apostle says, to the Ephesians, "by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of GOD; not of works lest any man should boast." And with regard to himself, he says, "by the grace of GOD I am what I am; not I, but the grace of GoD which is in me." Such was his acknowledgment while he was on earth. What is his acknowledgment now he is in heaven? Has he altered his language-has he changed his conviction? Perfect knowledge has added a thousand fold to the force of his conviction. Do you not read that the top stone of the sacred temple is to be brought forth with shouting, crying, grace, grace, unto it." Myriads will be engaged in this song and swell the triumph, ALL with the same heart, and with the same voice, will exclaim, "not - Solomon with his wisdom - and Paul with his zeal. Upon all the saints he conferred all their excellences, and supplied all their exigences; "in them, that is in their flesh, dwelt no good thing." In themselves they were nothing; of his fulness they received and grace for grace. And, secondly, He has every kind of grace for the relief and ease of sinners now. Do you, for instance, need forgiveness? He has pardoning grace. There is forgiveness with him with him there is mercy-with him there is plenteous redemption. Do you need renovation ?-He has sanctifying grace. "I will pour clean water upon them, and they shall be clean; from all their filthiness, and from all their idols will I cleanse them." Do you need illumination?—He has enlightening grace. "If any man lack wisdom," says James, "let him ask of GOD, who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given to him." Do you need hope?-He is called "the GoD of hope."-Patience? He is called "the GOD of patience."-Comfort? He is called "the GOD of comfort,"-Love? He is called "the GoD of love.”— Heaven? He is "the GoD of heaven." Do you need help in grace? Surely, you do need this every day, and But now, take every thing hereman, with his idols and his palaces, will be anathematized-the laurels of the conqueror wither on his browfame may be marred by the libeller every hour, to aid you in your duties, | here! Every thing here wears the to sustain you in your trials, and to | degradation of mortality. render you more than conquerors in your spiritual conflicts. Well, he giveth more than this; and, there fore, go to him for yourselves--go to him for others-go to him with enlarged desires, and emboldened hopes; and this while he is saying, in the Scripture, "Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it."-" Ask, and receive, that your joy may be full."-This is the character-he is "the GOD of all grace." riches make to themselves wings and flee away-our strength is not the strength of stone, nor are our bones brass-and our dear connections drop off one after another, like leaves from the trees in autumn, till we are led to say, "lover and friend, hast thou put far from me, and my acquaintance into darkness." If these things do not leave the man, the man will soon leave the things, he has only an annuity in them for life-he has only a life interest in them. What is that life interest? A vapour that appeareth for a little while, and then vanisheth away." Here is Secondly, AN OPERATION."The GoD of all grace has called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus." All the words the Holy Ghost uses are worthy of our notice; for they are words of wisdom, as well as of kindness. The radical idea of glory is brilliancy; but this is too childish to dwell upon. The secondary idea, therefore, is excellency displayed. Excellency is either natural, or intellectual, or moral, or spiritual, or divine. A future world is designed to develope and exemplify all these kinds of excellency; and, therefore, I need not observe how often the term is applied to the blessed condition of the righteous in the world to come. Thus David says, "thou shalt receive me into glory."-Thus Paul says, "When he, who is our light, shall appear, we shall also appear with him in glory."-Thus Peter says "I am a partaker of the glory which shall be revealed." But how can we do justice to this glory?—It is called His glory; that is, because he is the author of it; it is enjoyed only in His presence, and it is what He himself enjoys; and, therefore, even the blessedness into which the righteous shall enter, is called, not their joy, but "the joy of their Lord." It is "His eternal glory." How does this attri--the dungeon, for the palace-the bute add to the value of it! and how does it distinguish it from every thing But it is not so with "the prize of our high calling of GOD in Christ Jesus." This is "a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens"-this is "an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for us"-this is " a crown of life"-this is "a kingdom that cannot be shaken," ""the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour." The people of the world often wonder that Christians run not with them the same excess of riot; they marvel that they can turn away so from the things of time and sense; and, especially, that they can so easily resign those dissipations which seem to be essential to their very being. The reason is they do not know all. They do not consider that the Christian makes an exchange, and infinitely, for the better; and thus only resigns the toys of infancy, for the pursuits of manhood impure puddle, for the fountain of life-the leeks, and garlick, and onions of Egypt, for the grapes of Eschol. They see what they resign they do not see what they pursue, while they are in full march after glory, honour, immortality, and eternal life. And Christians see very little of this themselves, or they would be inspired with more ardour; but they will soon see it-they will soon hear the voice saying, "Come up hither, come and see.' And even now, by faith, and hope, they have commenced an acquaintance with it; and they have many of its earnests to ensure, many of its foretastes to endear; for they are "called unto his eternal glory." They are called, I say, to this eternal glory; and it would be easy to show the importance of this call with regard to it; for without this, they would not be authorised to seek it. As soon as they were convinced of sin, and made sensible that they were unworthy of the least of all his mercies that they deserved destruction from his presence, as children of disobedience, they would be immediately filled with despair. But now, if, while they are endeavouring to lay hold of the blessings of his salvation, their own consciences or the enemy of souls should charge them with presumption, and say to them, What are you doing there—what right have you there? Why, they can immediately reply, we have a warrant a full warrant a divine warrant-behold GOD calleth me-and when he calls, it is not humility, but it is rebellion, that leads me to refuse, and to disobey. It is his commandment, that "we believe on the name of his Son, Jesus Christ." And without this, indeed, we should be no more induced to seek after it, than hope for it. We are naturally careless-we mind only earthly things-we neglect, as the Apostle says, this great salvation." Now when men neglect a thing what 66 do we? Why, by a messenger, we call them to do it, and in the same way God sends in various ways, and by various means, and calls us, and says, " Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters. Wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread? And your labour for that which satisfieth not. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, and call ye upon him while he is near." And in Christians you will observe also this call is obeyed. By the ear it reaches their hearts, and it draws so powerfully that they follow as it leads; though they feel nothing like violence, for they 66 are made willing in the day of his power." Thus he calls us, as he once called the sun, moon, and stars; there was no pre-existent matter to fetch these from, but His call created them. And thus it is in "effectual calling," as our divines express it; thus he calls us to believe, to repent, to obey. He does not find the principle in us; but the power goes with the call, and produces the very thing it requires. And thus, therefore, ministers are fully justified in addressing the unconverted. What consistency is there, say some, after you have spoken of men "as dead in trespasses and sins," to address them and say, "Awake and live?" But the question is, in the first place, whether God has ever so done, for if so, the responsibility remains with him. Now here we have an express instance, " Awake," saith GOD," thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee life." What said a person to the preacher one day? Would you go about a church yard, and say to the dead there, Arise and live? To be sure, said he, I would if GOD ordered me to do it; and if GOD accompanied me too; for in this case my voice, would be His voice, and though I can do nothing, He is able to do all things. And was not this the very case with Ezekiel. There was as before him a valley of dry bones, exceeding dry. "Can these knowest." 66 66 strong in the grace which is in Christ dry bones live?" says GOD to the our The Apostle also reminds us, of the medium through which this call is accomplished. "He has called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus." "GOD, who at sundry times, and divers manners, spoke in times past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son." And the command, from the most excellent glory, is, "this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him." He is the Mediator, and the only Mediator between GOD and man. All transactions with GOD, all God's transactions with us, are carried on by him. I wish we remembered this—I wish we were constantly impressed with the conviction, that it is now with him we have immediately to do. In all concerns of obedience, faith, hope, consolation. I wish we were mindful of this; it would teach us, that though we do need a mediator between GoD and us, we do not need a mediator been us and Christ; and we are to come to him as we are, ungodly to be justified, unholy to be renewed, and poor to be enriched. This is the constant doctrine of the Scriptures-this is the record" that God hath given to us eternal life, but this life is in his Son." And we are required" to be "the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me." When, therefore, he ascended up on high, he not only "led captivity captive," but he "received gifts for men, even for the rebellious also, that the Lord GOD might dwell among them; and he gave prophets, apostles, pastors, evangelists, teachers, and above all the Holy Ghost," to render them all available. "He hath shed forth this," saith Peter, " which ye now see, and hear." "He is exalted," saith he, "at the right hand of GoD, to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance unto Israel and remission of sins." Never was a sinner called yet, but by the Spirit of Christ, and the Son quickens whom he will. We have, Thirdly, A CONCESSION. "But the GOD of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered awhile." Observe, first, the Apostle supposes the sufferings to be possible, yea probable; yea he seems to reckon on them as if they were absolutely certain. Agreeable to his language in another place, “think it not strange concerning the fiery trial, as if some strange thing happened to you." Now, in those days, the sufferings of Christians sprang very much from persecution. Hence it was said, "if any man will live godly in Christ Jesus, he shall suffer persecution, and in the world he shall have tribulation." We suffer little from this quarter. " All the men are dead who sought the young child's life." We know nothing of persecution here; that is, legally, owing to the just and paternal government under which it is our privilege to live. We |