Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

ture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." Now, you will perhaps remember, that in our Lord's conversation with the woman of Samaria, He uses very similar language. "Whosoever," He says, "drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst: but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." You may remember also, that it is a common thing in the prophetical writings, to find great blessings shadowed out under the figure of water; as for instance, where it is said, "I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring." We observe, therefore, that the gift of water is typical of blessing; and especially of the blessing of the Spirit: and hence the expression," pouring out the Spirit." If then water be grateful and necessary to satisfy the thirst of the body: if without water, the earth languishes and is parched and unfruitful, then may we understand why water should be used as an emblem of the Spirit. For if a man thirsts after holiness, how can he attain to it, but by the Spirit? If he longs after happiness, how can he attain to it but by the Spirit? If he desires to be fruitful,

[blocks in formation]

how can he bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, but by the Spirit dwelling in him? We are taught then here, my brethren, how we should appreciate the gift of the Spirit. We should feel it to be as needful to us as water to him that is athirst. We should feel that without it our souls must be sickly and ready to die. In short, we should from our very hearts, know that the gift of the Holy Ghost, is a most inestimable gift. Not merely in words, in the conventional language of the dispensation under which we live, should we speak of the comforts of the Comforter; but we should know the presence of the Spirit to be the very life of our soul. If the Israelites in the wilderness would have been consumed by drought, but for the supply of water miraculously provided; so we must perish, in the utter poverty of our souls, if the Holy Ghost is not in us.

And now, in conclusion, I would seriously ask of you, my brethren, whether you thus regard this inestimable gift? We are commemorating this day, the descent of the Holy Ghost, on the first founders of the Church. But oh! how cold will be our hearts; how little joy and thankfulness shall we feel, if we have not learnt, that the gift vouchsafed, is one of the most precious, that a Gracious God could give; one, in which if we have no part, we cannot enter heaven: we cannot

But,

escape the condemnation of hell. Men think more of the death of Christ, for that is their hope of deliverance from danger: they think less of the gift of the Spirit, for that seems merely connected with their deliverance from sin. Still surely, for both we should be devoutly thankful. The one without the other would have been incomplete. Forgiveness without renewal must have left us unfit for heaven; and renewal without forgiveness would not have delivered us from hell. brethren, let us thank God, we have all things in Christ, both pardon for our sin and strength for our weakness: so that in Him we may be at peace with God, and be enabled to keep His commandments; and if we faithfully use the blessings thus vouchsafed, we shall be going on from day to day, until we are perfected for a blessed eternity, and put in possession of righteousness, unsullied by any stain of sin; peace, unbroken by any sense of guilt, and joy unalloyed by any fear of its coming to an end.

SERMON XVIII.

ENCOURAGEMENT TO GIVING LIBERALLY.1

MARK X. 28-31.

"Then Peter began to say unto Him, Lo! we have left all, and have followed Thee. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, but he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life."

THE object of the present discourse, my brethren, is to dispose you to give cheerfully, towards defraying the expences, incurred in conducting the public worship of Almighty God, in this Church. And that such expences should be incurred, as it is a thing which cannot be avoided, so is it a necessity which ought not to be regretted. For if the expenditure has not been excessive, but such only as was requisite for the decent worship of God, we might reasonably expect that no

1 Preached in behalf of Congregational expences.

« ZurückWeiter »