His attributes of holiness and justice) to look upon thy soul with mercy and love! Oh consider this record of God's love! Believe it! Clasp it to thy bosom! Oh! let not this blood cry out for vengeance neglected and despised! "The blood of Abel" we read " cried out to the Almighty from the ground for vengeance" much more shall the blood of him who was the fellow of the Lord of Hosts! Verily, verily, I declare to you, careless and heedless children of the world, it had been better that ye had never seen the light of Heaven, better that ye had never listened to the sad yet blessed story of Bethlehem and Calvary, and yet be guilty after all-of despising the very body and blood of the blessed Jesus! Oh! by the tears He shed, by the scorn He meekly endured, by the groans and sorrows of His troubled spirit, by the nails that pierced Him and the thorns that tore His sacred flesh-be entreated, if still ignorant of Jesus and His salvation by personal acquaintance and experience—give not sleep to your eyes—give not slumber to your eyelids, before you have tested the faithful promises of your God. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is : 1. Gen. iv. 10. G light." Then you shall be able to declare" I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels." Again, the Church of Christ is comely by the sanctifying grace of the Holy Ghost, which is given to them who believe. If any man therefore be in Christ he is a new creature." The image of Jesus is imprinted on the man's soul. He is made partaker of the divine nature-He is conformed to Christ's will. He is made holy by the operation of the Holy Ghost. His tastes and desires, and pleasures, and enjoyments, all are regulated by the new principle of "holiness to the Lord." A true Christian therefore is "comely" in the Lord's eyes, because he is a holy Christian. He is "a temple of the Holy Ghost-a consecrated shrine of the Deity-the dwelling place of the Holy One." He is adorned with the graces of the Holy Spirit which are well-pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ. : I say it is given to them that believe and observe this I pray you Reader. Carefully distinguish between these two-justification and sanctifica 1. Mat. xi. 27-29. 2. Isaiah lxi, 10. tion! These, though indissolubly connected, are yet separate. Justification is the perfect work of Christ, wrought out of us by Him. Sanctification is the work of the Holy Ghost in our souls, wrought in us, by His dwelling in us, but imperfect in this world because of our corrupt natures The one is the work of Christ for us-the other the work of the Spirit of Christ within us. The former gives us a title to Heaven-the latter imparts to us a meetness for Heaven. Justifying faith removes the guilt of sin: sanctifying grace destroys its power over us and its pollution in us. Reader, what hath Christ done for thee in this matter? Hast thou faith? Doth thy faith work by love? Is it the faith of God's elect, which consists not in word only, but in power? It is an easy thing to say "I have faith "-But "Devils also believe" (and more than many professors reach unto)—"they also tremble”—tremble at God's word and judgements: tremble at their own doom and ruin eternal! But this I ask of thee, Reader, is thy faith in Jesus, such as "purifieth" thy heart and purgeth it of its naughtiness and desperate wickedness? Is it a faith which hath received the Holy Ghost and which enables you to "live a life of faith" in the midst of perverse and godless menand among hollow and worldly professors? 1. James ii. 19.. 2. Acts xv. 9. No matter how high and holy be your doctrines of grace, if your life and habits and conversationbe low, carnal, and world-like. No fall so deep as that of high professors! Therefore consider it is written "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord." 6. Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept. The Church, which is the spouse of Christ, continues in these words her address to the daughters of Jerusalem. She explains the cause of her blackness, and deprecates every unkind judgement from her external condition. (I.) The Church desires the daughters of Jerusalem to forbear looking upon her. (II.) Assigns some reasons for this request: and (I.) "Look not upon me, because I am black.” There is much conveyed in a mere look. Not a single word may be spoken, but the look may speak volumes. In what sense then do we suppose that the Church here desires that the daughters of Jerusalem should not look upon her? Is she insensible to a look of sympathy, or a look of pity on her behalf? Not so, surely. This would be uncivil and unamiable. This spirit would be contrary to the spirit of Him who is pleased even with a cup of cold water. Grace neither makes men churlish in their feelings, or unkind in their looks. Where is the proud, churlish follower of Jesus? Let such an one hear Christ's words :-"Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart."1 The language employed here deprecates a look of scornful disdain. Conscious is every Believer of many infirmities and sins, which mar the consistency of his or her Christian character, and which gives the world occasion to speak evil of the name of Jesus and the people on whom He has set his love. Every one who loves the Lord will watch against every occasion which can justly give the world any real ground for bringing railing accusation against the Gospel. Not that you can escape the scorn of an unbelieving world. If you will serve Christ Jesus with sincerity, you must be contented "to be sprinkled with a few drops of that torrent of contempt and shame which was poured out like a flood upon Him.” But there is a vast difference between bearing reproach and scorn for the name of Christ, and 1. Mat. xi. 29. |