__________________________________________________________________ Title: The German Pulpit, Being a Selection of Sermons by the Most Eminent Modern Divines of Germany. Creator(s): Baker, Richard Print Basis: London: C. J. G. & F. Rivington (1829) CCEL Subjects: All; __________________________________________________________________ THE GERMAN PULPIT, BEING A SELECTION OF SERMONS BY THE MOST EMINENT MODERN DIVINES OF GERMANY. __________________________________________________________________ TRANSLATED BY THE REV. RICHARD BAKER, A.M. OF MERTON COLLEGE, OXFORD AND CHAPLAIN TO THE BRITISH RESIDENTS AT HAMBURGH. __________________________________________________________________ LONDON: PRINTED FOR C. J. G. & F. RIVINGTON, ST. PAUL'S CHURCH--YARD, AND WATERLOO-PLACE, PALL-MALL. __________________________________________________________________ M.DCCC.XXIX. LONDON: PRINTED BY R. GILBERT, ST. JOHN'S SQUARE. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ TO THE MOST REVEREND WILLIAM, LORD ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, TO WHOM HE IS INDEBTED FOR HIS PRESENT SITUATION, THE FOLLOWING SPECIMENS OF LUTHERAN PULPIT-ELOQUENCE ARE, IN GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE, MOST HUMBLY AND RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED, BY THE TRANSLATOR. __________________________________________________________________ PREFACE. THE following Sermons are taken from a recent publication, entitled `German Pulpit-Eloquence,' and purporting to be a Collection of Discourses delivered by the most celebrated Lutheran Preachers. At a time when the theoretical divinity of German authors has excited so much observation in England, the Translator conceived it might not be unacceptable to the British Public, to furnish them with some specimens of their more practical theology. In submitting this selection of Sermons to their notice, whether their peculiarities be considered beauties or defects, he claims no merit, and hopes to incur no blame: as his only object has been, whilst he occupied his leisure hours, to make his readers acquainted with the style of German preaching, and to give as faithful a translation as possible. He thinks it right to observe, that he has abbreviated some of the texts, which in the original are often the whole Gospel for the day, and that he has rendered these, and the quotations from Scripture, not according to the Lutheran, but according to the English authorized version of the Bible. He will only add, that such Sermons require no small exertions and powers on the part of the preachers, as they are delivered memoriter, and with much animation, and are nearly double the usual length of English discourses from the Pulpit. HAMBURGH, May 21st, 1829. __________________________________________________________________ CONTENTS. PAGE SERMON I. BY LOeFFLER. ON REDEMPTION. LUKE xxiv. 21. But we trusted that it had been be which should have redeemed Israel. 1 SERMON II. BY AMMON. CHRISTIAN CONTEMPLATION OF DIVINE JUSTICE. ROMANS ii. 6-12. Who will render to every man according to his deeds: to them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: but unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; but glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: for there is no respect of persons with God 21 SERMON III. BY SCHMIDT. ON THE ABUSE AND NEGLECT OF PRAYER. MATT. vi. 5, 6. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou past shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward ties openly 41 SERMON IV. BY TYSCHIRNER. (Preached in 1816.) THE WORLD PURIFIED BY THE JUDGMENTS OF GOD. MALACHI iii. 2, 3, 4. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's sope: and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years 55 SERMON V. BY REINHARD. ON NEW YEAR'S DAY. PSALM ciii. 15-22. As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone: and the place thereof shall know it no more, &c. 79 SERMON VI. BY BRETSCHNEIDER. THE SOULS OF THE DEAD NOT PERMITTED TO REVISIT THE EARTH. LUKE xvi. 31. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead 105 SERMON VII. BY VEILLODTER. ON BELIEF IN IMMORTALITY. 1 COR. xv. 19, 20. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept 125 SERMON VIII. BY SCHOTT. THE INTIMATE CONNEXION BETWEEN THE FERVENT LOVE OF GOD, AND LOVE AND REVERENCE TOWARDS JESUS CHRIST. JOHN vii. 42-44. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me, for I proceeded forth and came from God, neither came! of myself, but he sent me. Why do ye not understand my speech I even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do 143 SERMON IX. BY LOeFFLER. ON THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS. MATT. ix. 2d and 5 following verses. And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith, said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee, &c. 163 SERMON X. BY HANSTEIN JESUS ALREADY GLORIFIED IN DEATH. (For Good Friday.) LUKE xxiii. 39-49. And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, &c. 185 SERMON XI. BY VEILLODTER. ON THE SANCTITY OF AN OATH, AND THE CRIME OF PERJURY. PHILIP. i. 3--8. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the Gospel from the first day until now; being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the Gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace. For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ 205 SERMON XII. BY TYSCHIRNER. ON THE END OF THE WORLD. MATT. xxiv. 37, and following verses. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch, therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come 221 SERMON XIII. BY AMMON. ON THE DIVINE MISSION OF CHRIST. JOHN xvii. 3. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent 243 SERMON XIV. BY MAREZOLL. ON THE HARVEST. JOHN iv. 35-38. Say not ye, There are yet four months and then cometh harvest? behold I say unto you,; Lift up your eyes and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth received wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour; other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours 265 SERMON XV. BY SCHOTT. AUTUMN--A PICTURE OF HUMAN LIFE. 1 PETER 1. 24, 25. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever: And this is the word which by the Gospel is preached unto you 287 SERMON XVI. BY ROHR. FOR CHRISTMAS. LUKE ii. 8th and 6 following verses. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men 307 SERMON XVII. BY SACK. THE SPIRITUAL KINGDOM OF CHRIST. (Preached on Ascension-Day.) JOHN xviii. 36. Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world 325 SERMON XVIII. BY SCHMALTZ. THE MEMORY OF THE EARTHLY SUFFERINGS OF OUR DEPARTED FRIENDS. JOHN xvii. 4, 5. I have glorified thee on the earth, I have finished the work which thou gayest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee, before the world was 343 SERMON XIX. BY BRETSCHNEIDER. THE ENDOWMENTS, INFIRMITIES, AND DUTIES OF MAN MATTHEW viii. 5-13. And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a Centurion beseeching him, and saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The Centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof; but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed: for I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me, &c. 363 SERMON XX. BY NIEMEYER. THE PROFIT DERIVED FROM MEDITATION ON DEATH. PSALM xc. 12. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom 385 SERMON XXI BY DINTER. RESPECT DUE TO OLD AGE. PROVERBS xvi. 31. The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness 403 __________________________________________________________________ SERMON I. BY LOeFFLER. ON REDEMPTION. SERMON I. ON REDEMPTION. IT is a common, but certainly a very true observation, that the wishes and hopes of men are often very inconsiderate, and of such a nature that the Divine government, in its wisdom, cannot gratify them, and that a very small portion of happiness would fall to our share, if God were content with merely fulfilling our wishes. The fact is well known and requires no proof. But it is not the less true, that the benefits which Divine Providence really bestows on us, are seldom discerned in their full dimensions, and valued according to their actual worth. True as this two fold observation is, concerning the wishes which we entertain in respect of our earthly affairs and prosperity, and a multitude of Divine benefits, which we, on this account, are accustomed to call the unknown benefits of God; it is true also, of such as have reference to our higher and spiritual felicity, as those for which the Divine government is not less watchful and active, than for our temporal welfare. Amongst these spiritual blessings, for instance, there is none of greater magnitude, and of more inestimable value, than the Redemption which God has ordained through Jesus Christ. It was the greatest of all the benefits which the Jewish nation once implored of God, and it is the greatest which we Christians glory to have received from God: and this with the most perfect right. But the Jewish nation limited their desire almost entirely to a temporal deliverance; comprehended not, in its full extent, the blessing which God would impart to them through Jesus; and for the most part actually scorned it when offered to them, because it was not agreeable to their wishes. We Christians value the Redemption of Jesus higher; but I fear that even we sometimes limit it too much, and are desirous of its being such as, indeed, is scarcely possible. This appears to me, for example, to be the case with all those who confine it simply or chiefly to a deliverance from the penalties of sin, inasmuch as, according to the Holy Scripture and to truth, it extends much farther, and is in particular a deliverance from sin itself. I have, therefore, resolved to address you to-day on the right estimation of the redemption of Jesus. Our Gospel for the festival presents us with an unsought occasion, in the wishes and hopes of the disciples of Jesus. God only grant that we may form right notions, and thereby be led to a just estimation of it! Luke xxiv. 21. But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel. WHEN the two disciples in our Gospel disclose their perplexity and dejection, on account of their Master's unexpected fate, to Jesus, whom they did not then know, and at the same time confess, "But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel," it is clear that they had not a true conception of the redemption which was to be effected, and which has been effected through Jesus. For they imagined its extent much too small, since they confined it to the Jewish nation alone, when they said, we trusted he should have redeemed Israel; whereas it was designed for the whole human race. Then again, they looked for a temporal redemption or deliverance, though the redemption of Jesus purported to be of quite a different kind, namely, a deliverance of the soul from sin, or a moral and spiritual redemption. I shall, therefore, take occasion to speak of the redemption, as it has actually been wrought through Jesus Christ. But I hope I shall best comprehend what appertains to the subject, if I dwell partly on that from which Christ has redeemed us, and partly on the condition under which this redemption may effectually avail us; and this, I trust, will lead the way to a very profitable application of my discourse. In the first place then, from what has Christ redeemed mankind? There are three points in which this great work is contained, and in which it can be most clearly viewed. Christ has, namely, redeemed us; first, from all anxious and tormenting fear of God; secondly, from sin and its dominion; and thirdly, from the punishment of sin as its consequence, and from the apprehension of a future eternal condemnation. In order to appreciate, in their full value, the greatness and beneficial effects of this redemption, and especially of the first branch of it, according to which Christ has delivered men from all anxious and tormenting fear of God, it is necessary for us to take a view of the mode of thinking of the age in which Jesus made his public appearance, and endeavour to recur to the then prevailing notions of God, which have, in a great measure, become strange to us, who are born and educated in Christendom, by means of the superior information which we have received from our youth up. At that period, the only correct and gladdening representation of God as the Father of men, and the truth that he is a gracious, benevolent, and forgiving Being, were almost entirely extirpated; and in their place the contrary idea was prevalent, that he is a severe inexorable ruler, who infallibly punishes the smallest offences, from whom no pardon was to be expected, unless his anger were appeased by bloody sacrifices, costly gifts, and self-inflicted tortures of various kinds. This terror was at that time general, nor is it much to be wondered at, being so natural to uninstructed man. Men commonly conceive of the Deity as they are themselves, and transfer the sentiments and modes of acting, which they perceive in themselves, to God. Now, since no man, if he would not deceive himself, can be insensible that he errs in a variety of ways, whether with wilfulness or from indiscretion, and thus transgresses the commandments of God; and since we men, when our injunctions are violated and an offence is committed against us, usually fall into anger and demand satisfaction; we ascribe similar affections of the mind to the Deity also; and because we feel that his displeasure and wrath can make us extremely miserable, we bethink ourselves of means to appease this wrath, and to reconcile the Deity. Far as these conceptions are from being entirely erroneous, certain as it rather is, that God is the most declared enemy of sin, and that he inevitably punishes and must punish it; yet the men of that age erred too much in their representation of the greatness and inflexibility of Divine wrath, and still more in the means which were chosen to avert it. Instead of striving to be convinced that God is not an inexorable Being, that he does not keep his anger for ever, and that he is disposed to pardon the man who draws near to him with repentant feelings and a resolution of amendment; they believed they must accumulate sacrifices, expiations, and penances of various kinds. This proved a very great and two-fold disadvantage. At one time this idea filled the minds of men with fear and trembling before God, as the strict, inexorable, never-to-be-reconciled Judge; the thought a him, that is, of the best, most perfect, and most gracious Being, which otherwise possesses such a cheering and animating power, lost this beneficial power entirely; and what was most melancholy, men were nevertheless not improved by this constant fear, exactly because they believed that sacrifices and gifts were sufficient to reconcile the Deity and appease his anger. The wisest of the writers in, the Old Testament had, indeed, already endeavoured. to soften this alarming representation of God, and to weaken their belief in the atoning power of sacrifices; but their persuasions were ineffectual. They had declared, "the Lord is full of compassion and mercy, long-suffering, plenteous in goodness and truth." "He forgiveth iniquity and sin, he willeth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he should be converted and live." Isaiah felt himself urged to call to the people, "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me, saith the Lord? I am full of the burnt-offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; who hath required this at your land? Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes, cease to do evil, learn to do well [1] ." Thus had the wiser prophets of the Old Testament already taught; they had described God as gracious and merciful, and required amendment of life instead of sacrifices; as in like manner the Apostle Paul exhorts Christians in his epistle to the Romans; "I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service [2] ." But they preached to deaf ears. Custom prevailed over the truth, the same ideas and sacrifices continued, the world dwelt in distressing fear of God, it propitiated him daily, and yet failed to reform. But at last Jesus Christ appeared, and taught those truths more forcibly and clearly, exhibited the goodness of God in its full lustre, and sheaved that the only means of forgiveness were repentance and amendment. Thus he himself, and thus his Apostles instructed, and thus by his labours a Church was founded, in which more favourable notions of God prevailed, in which he was worshipped, not as a severe and wrathful judge, but as a kind forgiving Father; the members of which, when they assembled together, brought no offerings as a propitiation, but engaged themselves to an innocent course of life. In this manner. Jesus liberated the Christian world from the anxious fear of God, and from the most burdensome and unprofitable service. O, for ever let him be praised, that he has inspired us with trust in the pardoning grace of the Highest! For ever let him be praised, that we through his instruction rejoice in God, and no more tremble before him! Eternally let him be praised, that he has abolished sacrifices for ever, and taught us to offer up ourselves as a sacrifice to God! Thus he has established a real redemption; we now need no more offering for sin. Yet, my friends, Christ has delivered the Christian world not only from the anxious and tormenting fear of God, and from belief in the atoning power of sacrifices, but he has also, secondly, redeemed us from sin, and thereby from its penalties in the present and the future world. But I must here obviate a misconception. This redemption from sin is not to be understood as if Jesus had taken away all sins, so that no more are to be found in the Christian world; for this would manifestly contradict daily experience. But his redemption consists rather in this, that he has made it possible to men to withdraw from the dominion of sin, having set forth to them the reasons for it, pointed out the means, and in general neglected nothing that would render deliverance from sin important and easy to them. So much is certain, that if man should be encouraged to escape from the trammels of sin, this cannot be more effectually done, than when sin is depicted to him in all its noxiousness, and on the other hand reformation and virtue in their advantages and rewards. So much is certain, that man cannot be rescued from the dominion of sin, so long as he is ignorant of its source, the manner in which it is originated, and the means whereby it may be prevented. So much is, lastly, certain, that man will not seldom grow weary in this contest against sin, if he may not promise himself a happy issue and the strength that is requisite, and if in this contest he has not an aim and a reward in his eye, the view of which invigorates him afresh. But Jesus bas most completely satisfied all these wants by his instruction, and thus has made the most desirable redemption from sin possible. For this reason he taught, that it is only sin which renders men unhappy, and deprives them of the favour of God and of felicity; for this reason he assured them, that the forgiveness of God and deliverance from the penalties of sin, are not attached to propitiatory sacrifices, which never could possess this power, but to contrition and steady amendment, which alone are well-pleasing to God; for this reason he inculcated, that man must watch over his heart, consider this as the real source of sin, and suppress the rising lusts in their first movements, if he would prevent their bursting forth, and be secured from actual sins; for this reason he admonishes that we must diligently strengthen ourselves by good resolutions, and implore God for power to perform them, in the firm persuasion, that he who promotes all that is good, will least of all deny us his Spirit and the strength requisite for our improvement; and, that we may never grow weary in this zeal, be points out the great worth of a clean heart before God, and the rewards of eternity. This is the redemption from sin which Christ has actually instituted. Once more; it is not then to be understood, as if he had so taken away all sins that no more remain in the world, nor as if he had made sin impossible to man, and the use of the means of improvement unnecessary. Nothing less than that; for the former would contradict the most evident experience, and the latter would be at variance with the freedom of the human soul, which it was not his design to abolish. But his redemption consists in this, that he has made it possible and of importance to man to be redeemed: and how could it be effected in rational creatures in any other way, without infringement on their liberty? Or how could he do it in a more effectual manner than by convincing them that sin would be productive of unhappiness, that it disturbs the conscience, that it robs us of the favour of God, that there are no offerings for its penalties, that repentance alone and steady amendment bring forgiveness and salvation? Does not amendment now become of greater importance to us, the more we desire pardon from God? Do not our own heart, and the wish not to be miserable, urge us to the most earnest self-improvement, and to a participation in this redemption? And does not Christ redeem every one from sin, who will suffer himself to be redeemed through him? Lastly, my friends, the redemption of Jesus extends also to the penalties of sin. And this part of redemption he has doubly effected. Since, namely, he has assured the world of the gracious disposition of God, he has thereby delivered it from the apprehension of never-ceasing punishments; and since lie teaches us to avoid sin itself, he thereby delivers us also from its penalty. To comprise it in a few words, the redemption of Jesus amounts to this,--that he has exhibited God to us in his true and gladdening form, that he has inspired us with trust in his forgiving grace, that he has placed reformation and virtue in the room of sacrifices, and that he has shewn us the possibility of avoiding the dominion of sin, and consequently its temporal and eternal punishments. How great and inestimable is this benefit! If I had the liberty to choose for myself any happiness, could I wish for any greater than this redemption? than the consciousness of a merciful God before whom I need not tremble? than freedom from the bondage of sin? than a joyful prospect of a happy eternity? This, this is the redemption which Jesus has established! How much more comprehensive it is than that which the Jews and even the disciples of Jesus hoped for! But now a question may be suggested, "Will then all men partake in this redemption?" The answer is, If they perform one condition; and this we will inquire into in the second part of our contemplation. The redemption, my friends, is now completed. Every thing is done on God's part. But what must man do on his side, in order to profit by this redemption? The short answer is, He must assist in redeeming himself. And this in fact is not so difficult. It is resolved mainly into two points, which we will shortly discuss. The first thing which a man must do; who really desires to be redeemed through Christ, is to believe the assurances of Jesus respecting the merciful and forgiving disposition of God, and to seek to convince himself more and more firmly of their truth. As long as man distrusts the goodness of God, or as long as he thinks he must be propitiated by any thing else than by amendment, so long certainly the redemption of Jesus from the tormenting fear of God cannot be of service to him. But how easy is this persuasion of the goodness of God! how ready the heart is to entertain it! what grounds for it present themselves on all sides! It is reasonable to believe, when I cast a glance at nature, that the God, who has every where diffused the most palpable marks of his enriching bounty, who has created the world to be the scene of his goodness, and men for the enjoyment of it, it is reasonable to believe, that this God has not destined any creature to eternal pains and never ceasing misery. It is not probable that he will aggravate the natural consequences of sin by arbitrary punishments, which are not designed for the improvement of man, but to render his wretchedness interminable; and that he will make man still more unhappy than he already is, through sin and its necessary consequences. And is it not probable, that God will at least be as kind as a human father is? But as the latter inflicts punishments only as salutary and correcting chastisements, and derives no pleasure from the suffering of his child, shall it not be so and much more with God? That my reason teaches me. The more I think of God in this manner, the more strongly I seek to be convinced of his goodness, and how far he is from feeling any malicious joy or delighting in vengeance, so much the more my heart listens to the instructions of Jesus, that with God there is mercy, and that "there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth." And if we would, therefore, facilitate the appropriation to ourselves of the atonement of Jesus, and be delivered through him from an anxious and painful fear of God; it is necessary that we open our hearts to these representations of the clemency and love of God; that we drive away from our souls the alarming images of a dreadful tyrant, and substitute in their place the lovely portrait of a benevolent and bountiful Father, such as nature exhibits him to us. Should we then bring a heart so prepared to the instructions of Jesus and the holy Scripture, how easily shall we find it to be true, that God is merciful and compassionate, and that we require no oblations to propitiate him! How easily will Christ then accomplish in us that part of his redemption, which consists in a liberation from all disquieting and tormenting fear of God! That is the first condition which we must fulfil, if we really desire to be redeemed through Christ. And the second is this; if we, besides that fear of God, wish also to be delivered from the penalty of sin, we must necessarily be redeemed from sin itself. It is plain that it cannot be otherwise. Punishment is the consequence of sin, sin the cause of punishment. But is it possible that the consequence should cease, when the cause remains? Is it possible, that I should be released from a disorder, if I continue to commit the excess which generated the disorder? Is it possible that a man should be freed from punishment, when he repeats the same crime which subjected him to the punishment? Can the punishments or the chastisements of God cease, before the object of them, reformation, is attained? "Be not deceived," I might say to such persons, "God is not mocked." Do you think to be saved, because we are redeemed? Is Christ the minister of sin? Shall we sin for this reason, "that grace may abound?" Do we hope to escape future wrath, merely because we are called Christians? Should we not then evidently be in the same case as the Jews, who hoped to be exempted from punishment, because they had Abraham for their father? No, my friends, it remains an eternal, irrefutable truth, that whoever would escape punishment, must first renounce sin. The redemption of Jesus cannot else avail us. This contemplation, my friends, is abundantly fruitful in profitable applications, if we will use it to this purpose. I will call your attention to a few of them. In the first place it is manifest, that this redemption, which Christ has wrought for the human race, is a far greater and more salutary one, than that which the disciples of Jesus imagined and wished for. It is greater, because it is not confined to one people, but embraces all those nations to whom the Christian religion is known or shall hereafter be known. It is moreover greater, because it makes us perfectly free, free in the noblest sense of the word. For what is true liberty? wherein does it consist? Is he free who is oppressed by a tormenting fear of God, who is a slave to sin, who is ruled and led captive by vicious desires, whose conscience distresses him, who trembles at the thought of death, whom the future overwhelms with despair Or is he free who has trust in God, who is not afraid of himself, who can look forward to futurity with a calm aspect? Freedom from sin is the true freedom; and that is the freedom which Christ has given us. Thanksgiving, eternal thanksgiving be unto God, for that he has performed more through Christ, than Seven his disciples ventured to hope! They trusted he should have redeemed Israel; and he has redeemed a far greater portion of mankind. They feared their expectation was disappointed; and never was its fulfilment nearer.--Above all things, my friends, let us represent to ourselves the redemption as it really is, and not let ourselves be led away by the imagination that Christ has already redeemed us from the penalties of sin, whilst we are not yet freed from sin. I do not wonder that men are so corrupt as to adopt that part of redemption which favours their evil propensities, namely, faith, and that they are forgetful of that which is troublesome to them, namely, amendment. But ye, who so divide redemption, and flatter yourselves with such hopes, ye deceive yourselves, ye desire an impossibility. For, "if ye sin wilfully, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins [3] ," and thus ye are in no sense of the word redeemed. For "whosoever committeth sin, is the servant of sin [4] ." "Whosoever abideth in him, sinneth not; whosoever sinneth, hath not seen him neither known him [5] ." Finally, my brethren, let us so reflect on this, that we may live as redeemed creatures. What an excellent sanctification of this festival, if we now resolve before God to rise from the sleep of sin, from which Christ seeks to awaken us, and to live to that righteousness to which he exhorts us! Let each one then amongst us be renewed and converted from his sin, that the redemption may not have been in vain, but, that he also may indeed participate in it. Thou thyself, O God! wilt impress these considerations strongly on our hearts through thy Spirit. Amen. __________________________________________________________________ [1] Isaiah i. 11. [2] Rom. xii. 1. [3] Heb. x. 26. [4] John viii. 34. [5] 1 John iii. 6. __________________________________________________________________ SERMON II. BY AMMON. CHRISTIAN CONTEMPLATION OF DIVINE JUSTICE. SERMON II. CHRISTIAN CONTEMPLATION OF DIVINE JUSTICE. LORD, thou art righteous, and all thy judgments are just! Before thee, O most holy, and before thine all-searching look, the veil of dissimulation and hypocrisy, which human prudence so often throws over profligacy and crime, immediately drops; but oppressed and suffering virtue also, which, misunderstood and despised, is yet never weary of doing good, is encouraged in thy sight to the hope of a better world. Therefore the thought of thee, thou eternal and supreme Judge of the world of spirits, seizes at last the heedless and secure sinner, and fills him with horror and trembling, because of the futurity which awaits him; but, therefore also, the conviction of thy perfect justice rewards thy children with contentment and peace of mind, when they suffer wrong and persecution at the hands of men. Father of all! let the importance of this consideration be ever present to us, that we also may be just towards our brethren; that we may learn willingly to endure wrong and suffering, because thou directest them to our benefit; that we may all, as thy children, look forward with joy in the hour of death to thy sentence, thou, who art the Judge of all the world! It is a peculiar feature of the unperverted nature of man, my beloved, that it seeks to preserve the most exact and perfect balance between guilt and punishment, between merit and reward. We detest the judge with all our heart, who sells his judgment for gifts, who gives sentence for the vicious man, but is deaf to the voice of innocence defending itself in vain. On the contrary, we cannot deny our respect and high esteem to the man, who with upright and candid mind reprobates vice in the palace and in the cottage with equal impartiality, who entertains an equal regard for the moral worth of the rich and the poor. So unbounded, my friends, is our respect for a virtue, the conscientious practice of which must form the most exalted dignity and the fairest distinction of humanity. But, alas! the limitation of our powers, ignorance, covetousness, and insensibility, are the dangerous rocks, on which it is so often wrecked on this earth. We all, therefore, expect our sentence and the determination of our fate with silent submission from a superior Judge, whose all-scrutinizing view none of our most hidden virtues, none of our most secret faults can escape, and who penetrates with infinite knowledge into the inmost secrets of our hearts. The more we labour to become familiar with the legislation of the mightiest and wisest of all Judges, the more firmly we are persuaded, that he lets no virtue go unrewarded, no wickedness unpunished; the more correct our knowledge of the nature of his rewards and punishments is, so much the more unshaken will be our trust in him, so much the more ardent, disinterested, and pure our virtue, so much the more informed and fearless our mind, and so much the more lasting the happiness and contentment of our life. No part of Scripture is better suited to instruct us with clearness and decision on this point than the text. ROMANS ii. 6-12. Who will render to every man according to his deeds: to them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: but unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; but glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: for there is no respect of persons with God. THIS important instruction of the Apostle will give us occasion to meditate on its true signification, and will employ us for the present hour in a Christian contemplation of divine justice. This contemplation is of two parts. First, God has connected essentially unalterable happiness with virtue, unalterable misery with vice. Secondly, God so guides the destinies of men, that the most perfect balance is preserved between their moral conduct and their real welfare. 1. There is no stronger and more expressive proof of our resemblance to God, and of the high destiny of our immortal spirit, than this, that the Eternal has given us a judge in our own conscience, which loudly condemns our misdeeds, and applauds only our righteous and honourable sentiments and actions. If this cannot by any means be corrupted, nor bribed by any flattery of a foolish self-conceit; then must the favour of the highest of all Judges be the most unchangeable and invariable, and we must, in the first place, take this view of his justice, that he has connected unfailing blessedness with virtue. Do we not ask, beloved, wherein this blessedness, inseparable from the real worth of our actions, consists? Where is there an earthly felicity to be compared with the satisfaction which the silent applause of our own hearts imparts to us after the conscientious performance of our duties? Speak yourselves, my brethren! ye, who with clean and guiltless hearts have borne all the toils of a laborious day with unwearied. zeal; ye, who have distributed to deserving indigence the superfluity which Providence gave you; ye, who have scattered the seeds of truth with intrepidity and prudence; and ye, who have improved your minds by sciences and arts to your own happiness and the good of your brethren, say, has ever a joyous gratification, has ever any voluptuous delight, equalled the purity and fulness of that heavenly pleasure, which penetrated your hearts at the thought of having fulfilled your duties to the utmost? In this contentment with ourselves, and in the consciousness that we have exercised and applied our powers in the most rational manner, lies an inexpressible reward of virtue. This high satisfaction in the soul of the virtuous is enhanced by the love and esteem, which are surely entertained for him in the hearts of all generous and good men. Nothing, indeed, is more common, my beloved, than for the greatest part of mankind, (who, being themselves weak and deficient in moral worth, would gladly obtain some merit by pronouncing decisive judgments on others) to depreciate the most meritorious and most blameless actions, to defame the purest integrity, and to seek to expose it, under the most odious names, to misconception and calumny. But how much is the true friend of Christian virtue recompensed for these uncharitable judgments by the unfeigned approbation of generous and worthy men, who, after much experience, and affliction of various kinds, have learnt to value earthly goods according to their real worth, and who now fraternally share their heart and their affection with every true friend of religion and virtue! Thus, great is the reward of the pious,--to be esteemed by wise and sensible persons; but a superior, an unutterable felicity still awaits him,--the applause of his wise Creator and Father. To feel persuaded that one has fulfilled the commands of the Most Holy, to whom we owe our existence, our reason, our faculties, and our whole happiness; to know, that by disinterested, great, and noble actions we are brought nearer to his infinite holiness; that we, have become worthy of his grace, love, and fatherly care; and that we may now lay claim, through Jesus, to all the benefits to which his children are heirs; where is the mortal and the Christian, who must not find the supreme and most perfect good of his life in this conviction? Oh, my brethren, that every one amongst us possessed this glad sense in full efficiency; that every one of us could look up to his Father with filial confidence; that this blissful approbation of the most exalted and mightiest Judge were present to us all, and strengthened us to do good and not be weary, that we might reap without ceasing! But the thoughts and aims of the human heart are sensual and evil from youth up; we are, therefore, 2dly, made sensible of the divine justice in another point of view, where it has connected unalterable misery with vice. Nothing has at all times, so long as men sought their highest enjoyments in sensual delights and earthly treasures, occasioned stronger objections and more unjust doubts of the guidance of Divine Providence, than the apparent prosperity of the wicked upon earth. Full of dejection and despondency, the innocent but suffering Job exclaims, "When I remember, I am afraid, and trembling taketh hold on my flesh. Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power? Their seed is established in their sight with them, and their offspring before their eyes. Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them." And yet, my beloved, nothing is easier for the attentive observer, than to see the hand of Divine justice punishing vice even in the lap of riches and abundance. Cast a glance into the soul of the miser, who with insatiable covetousness scorns no means, by which he can increase his wealth and his treasures, who, inexorable and unfeeling, repels every suffering and necessitous man, banishes every sentiment of philanthropy from his breast, and inflicts pain upon himself, merely in order to feed his greedy eye on his prosperity; how is he harassed by a thousand cares, racked by unbridled desires, and tossed about by constant uneasiness! If we observe the voluptuous spendthrift, who invokes every thing which can gratify the senses and procure him the greatest variety of enjoyments; who leaves nothing untried in order to acquire power and consequence by means of a brilliant exterior; who willingly sacrifices his time and his property to intoxicating joys and the most varied diversions, in order to drink full draughts from the stream of pleasure; how wretched is he in those moments, when joy deserts him, when reason awakes from her dream, and when the mutability of his happiness appears in all its emptiness and nakedness! He may never want flatterers, companions of his pleasures, and mean persons, who from self- interest cringe before his greatness and splendour; he may always see himself surrounded by purchased eulogists; but the true and noble friend of virtue must shun him, must despise him, and openly manifest his displeasure and disgust. Therefore, "there is no peace to the wicked;" therefore do they hurry, unsteady and changeable, from one purpose to another, from one gratification, from one dissipation to another; therefore is their heart incessantly tormented by the pains of disappointed hopes, by the pangs of consuming passions, and by the reproaches of an offended conscience. And when the profligate, in this disturbed state, this insecurity of mind, begins to think of the Judge, who will one day demand an account of every, even the least of our actions, who will bring all our deeds to trial, and give sentence according to the holiest laws; then shame and remorse seize him, then he curses the fugitive joys, which he at other times had so eagerly sought for; then he languishes on the brink of despair for rest, and finds it not. He would gladly hide himself from the judgment of the Most Holy, who views every impurity of his heart with the eye of omniscience; but he is forced to cry out with David, "Whither shall I go from thy spirit, or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me, even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee, but the night shineth as the day, the darkness and the light are both alike to thee [6] ." So infallible is the misery which follows the steps of vice, and so invariable is the blessing and the felicity, which naturally flows from pure Christian virtue. But Divine justice, moreover, guides the destinies of men in such a manner, that the most perfect balance prevails between their moral goodness and their real welfare, in the examination of which point we will employ the Second Part of our meditation. If we raise our ideas, my beloved, from man, whose life is a breath, up to the Eternal, we find that his unbounded holiness must be identified with the most unutterable blessedness, because his supreme intelligence cannot design or imagine any law, with which the infinite effects of the most sovereign power would not at once correspond. Were it possible that human virtue also could be so thoroughly perfected, so pure and spotless, then would the good man be sufficient of himself for his happiness, he would scorn every external benefit as a foreign reward, and would feel himself invariably blest in the consciousness of his own perfection; but so exalted and pure a virtue is not the lot of the finite rational world; and man, who, notwithstanding the most conscientious endeavours after holiness and goodness of heart, is so often depressed by the most distressing sensation of his infirmities and defects, must, when thinking of God, feel but too deeply, that we are all sinners who are not yet worthy of the full favour of God. Now, in order that human virtue, which has to struggle in its weakness with so many and wearisome impediments, may not want outward encouragement to press on with increasing spirit in the path of duty, Divine justice ordains; first, that in regard to the worthy worshipper of God and Christ, the thought of his inward goodness and his real moral worth shall be supported on this earth by rewards of sense: think not, my friends, of such rewards and prizes, as are appropriated to distinguished actions by legislators and princes, rewards which an indefatigable and restless ambition so often carries off, instead of silent and modest merit. Is not the whole wide earth full of God's good things, and is not every thing. reward which we enjoy from his bounty? If but a pure and guiltless heart beats within our breast, if the applause of the inward judge but gives us a real satisfaction with ourselves, O, then, no good thing is so small, no enjoyment so poor and simple, that it may not exhilarate us, and fill us with the purest pleasure; then the indigent inhabitant of a lowly, but is happier than the possessor of a splendid palace who is loaded with sins. For this reason the sincere friend of virtue rejoices in a sound and vigorous state of health, vouchsafed him by his heavenly Father, enjoys it gratefully as a gift from his hand, and feels happy in this valuable reward of his integrity. For this reason he welcomes the blessing of Providence, when, by worldly possessions and prosperity, consequently by outward agreeable sensations, it reminds him of this goodness of heart, which now heightens every pleasure, and converts every permitted enjoyment of sense into the purest and highest gratification. For this reason he thankfully blesses the period when outward dignities and posts of honour are allotted to him, because he can now act with greater freedom, do good more extensively, and promote, with less hindrance, truth, order, and tranquillity amongst his brethren. Thus delightful and unfailing are the rewards which Divine justice has appointed for the good man while yet on earth, because the exact proportion of happiness and well-being to virtue is the sublime object to which all finite spirits should aspire; Providence, therefore, guides the destinies of men in such a manner, that, secondly, the vicious man's thoughts on his immorality are also kept up by outward unpleasant sensations. The wicked have no peace, but even their prosperity is unstable and mutable. So true is that which a wise man says in the book of Job: "The triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment. Though his excellency mount up to the heavens; and his head reach unto the clouds, yet he shall perish for ever. They which have seen him shall say, Where is he? He shall fly away as a dream and shall not be found, yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night." If the generous and honest friend of virtue acknowledges the hand of Providence in all the events and occurrences of this life, which bestows more or fewer benefits on mortals, as their deserts and their destination for eternity may require; in like manner the vicious man sees in every trouble that falls on him, and in every distress he meets with, the wrath of an avenging Deity. The same. unsteadiness of his principles, the same restlessness in his mind, which formerly abandoned him to the wild gratification of intoxicating pleasures, now sinks him, under the least adversity, into dejected lamentation and desponding anxiety. Does fate hurl him down from the pinnacle of honour, fame, and prosperity, to which he had elevated himself by the depression of real merit, by intrigues and artifices? O, then his humiliation becomes an intolerable anguish to him, then he is too weak to meet the contempt of his adversaries with courage and fortitude, then the tortures of a deeply wounded pride, and the unsatisfied demands of a boundless self-love, embitter every moment of his disquieted existence. Does the rich villain, who knows no greater good than his dishonestly acquired treasures, experience, like others, the vicissitudes of worldly fortune; do rapid floods, or raging flames, or sudden public calamity lay waste his magnificent dwelling? at the loss of his possessions, his heart also fails him, and, full of agony and terror, he trembles under the deeply piercing strokes of misfortune. But the retributive justice of God appears on no occasion more awful and alarming to the wicked, than at the thought of the approach of unexpected death. The hopes of a secure life and undecaying health, to which self-love could formerly fix no limits, now give way; now the building of earthly happiness, in which the sinner promised himself so long a residence, falls in; now comfort and rest are no where to be found, but in the consciousness of a clean and virtuous heart. And in this poverty and nakedness of his mind shall he, at the period, when his body, near its dissolution, must fight the hard fight of death, enter into thoughts on futurity, from which he has to expect the sentence of an eternal and righteous Judge on all his actions? Who amongst us all, my beloved, does not discern in this indescribable agony and fear of the dying sinner, the irrevocable judgement of divine holiness on the iniquity of vice? We think not in this Case of trust in Divine mercy and goodness, and of the merits of our Redeemer, who died for the good of mankind, by averting from them apprehended punishments. These blissful doctrines are full of refreshing consolation for all those, who, having their attention drawn by the religion of Jesus to the destructive nature of vice, have returned to the path of virtue, and now find comfort respecting the offences of past days in the death of our Divine Teacher and Friend. But the sinner already does unspeakable penance in this, that, according to the same principles which he has hitherto followed in his actions, lie dreads his Creator and Father as a severe and passionate Judge; that he considers all the sorrows and disasters which come upon him, as the immediate punishments of God; and that, like a child which disobeys the commands of a wise and affectionate father, he enjoys his favours under the loud reproaches of his conscience, and with a mortifying sense of his unworthiness. This dejection and fear of the just chastisements of God will never entirely leave the most abandoned and sensual offender, even in the utmost apparent prosperity; and could it even leave him, Divine justice, thirdly, so directs the destinies of men, that the apparent worldly success of the wicked, and the undeserved afflictions of the virtuous, become a beneficial source of the firmest conviction of a blessed immortality, a source, therefore, of the most exhilarating hope for the Christian sufferer. Nothing is more common, my friends, than that, when a successful profligate raises himself above his weaker brethren, or a guiltless Job sinks under the weight of his sorrows, we wrong Divine justice, and frequently break out into loud murmurs against Providence, for the unequal distribution of human destinies. "Is it justice," the censurer of Providence exclaims, "when whole nations groan under the tyranny of profligate rulers; when violence and iniquity heap crime upon crime; when extensive devastations and wars expose the virtuous as well as the wicked to the utmost misery; and when flattery and frivolity so often wear the crown, of which active and modest merit is deprived?" So unreasonable are the doubts and complaints, in which the finite being indulges, respecting the wisdom and holiness of the Infinite; as if he knew whether the virtue which externally shines so brightly, is internally also pure and spot, less; and whether the vice, which he so unconditionally condemns, has not some unobserved moral qualities by its side. But supposing, beloved, that the censurer of Providence judged correctly in this case, and that he had seen vice really happy, and virtue really unhappy; are not the sufferings of the good man, whatever he loses on this earth, rewards for eternity? Let merit be always approved here below; let every wickedness be immediately followed by deserved punishment; let the most perfect balance be ever held between the moral goodness and the welfare of men; where would then, O mortal, be the endless object of thy destination! where thy hope of immortality, and of a better and blissful futurity? where the strength and elasticity of thy mind, with which thou overcamest the greatest obstacles and adversities? It is only the trials and troubles of this life, which form a great and good man, who has the firmness, even in death, to forgive those who have injured him; it is only silent meditations on the decay of this world's goods, which elevate the mind to the exhilarating prospect of a better world; it is only through calamities and sorrows that the hope of a blessed immortality is matured in our hearts into that cheering conviction, which to sensual fools is an unknown jewel. Let, therefore, all directing Providence be praised for all the unexpected events and misfortunes, which with wise and gracious hand it has interwoven with human destinies; we discern, therefore, even in its incomprehensible dispensations, the tie with which it binds us and our hopes to a superior world; let then no doubt and no selfish weakness rob us of this consolatory truth, "Lord thou art righteous, and all thy judgments are just." __________________________________________________________________ O that these considerations might avail, my friends, in leading us to just notions of the nature of Divine rewards and punishments, and in filling all our hearts with filial reverence for the Most Holy, the Almighty Lawgiver and Judge! May the testimony of an unpolluted conscience be able to deliver us all from that anxious fear of Divine vengeance, which is an inseparable companion of sin and vice; for "Fear," says St. John, "hath torment, and he that feareth is not made perfect in love;" but love which is perfected by Christian virtue, knoweth no fear, but rejoices, through Jesus and the merits of his teaching and his death, in the mercy of a holy and all-bountiful Father. What a great and enlivening thought, beloved! Thus then we languish no more under the burden of a hard and terrifying law, which resented every transgression with severe and tormenting punishments; thus we shudder no more at the terrors of death; thus we feel blest in the freedom of our immortal spirit, through that religion which brings us unto salvation by faith, hope, and love; thus the voice of our heart calls upon us all to "live soberly, righteously, and godly," that we may be the children of God. Let the sinner then awake from the giddiness of error and passion, which despoiled him of his dignity, bound his mind in fetters, and exposed him to the contempt of his heart and perpetual uneasiness. Let, therefore, the pious and good man unweariedly seek the attainment of his grand aim, and find peace with himself, the favour of his Divine Father and Friend, and the enduring and richest reward of persevering virtue. May a heart full of love and zeal for Christian perfection, entitle us all to the delightful hope, that we and all, who rejoice in immortal life, through Jesus, may hereafter be adorned with the crown of virtue, which God the righteous Judge shall give us at that day. __________________________________________________________________ [6] Psalm cxxxix. __________________________________________________________________ SERMON III. BY SCHMIDT. ON THE ABUSE AND NEGLECT OF PRAYER. SERMON III. ON THE ABUSE AND NEGLECT OF PRAYER. WHEN, in the sacred hours of devotion, our mind is uplifted to thee, thou God of love! and when the heart is blest in drawing near to thee then we feel most sensibly the high privilege of the Christian, to whom thou art Father, and the greatness of man, who may venture to address thee, although he is but dust and earth. We are thine, and thereby the entrance to all the riches of thy grace stands open to us, and the child rests glad and secure in a Father's arms. Joy, and trust, and faith, and hope, and strength, and courage, take possession of our hearts, and in evil as well as good days, we are contented, because we belong to thee. O, let us never forget thee, and let us seek in thy presence that pure and lasting joy, which the world cannot give. Teach us to pray with devotion and faith, and make our hearts susceptible of that bliss, which a pious intercourse with thee imparts. Without thee there is no peace, and the soul wearies itself in the chase of worldly delusions. Thou alone canst appease its thirst; mayest thou fully satisfy it, here and in eternity! Rest on us thy spirit of strength and of prayer; even now we supplicate thee for it, as Jesus has taught us: Our Father, &c. Matt. vi. 5, 6. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they nay be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou host shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. ACKNOWLEDGE, my friends, in this direction for the right performance of a sacred Christian duty the superiority of the religion of Jesus, which removes all affectation of sanctity, all hypocrisy, and all pernicious superstition from our intercourse with God, and makes prayer the filial effusion of a pious, grateful,. and confiding soul. If it is undeniable, that this elevation of the heart to the Supreme Being must become a necessity to every thinking and feeling creature, which not even the most thoughtless and dissolute can always dispense with; if the slightest conception has ever been entertained of the blessing which attends such hours of devotion; it must appear incomprehensible, that what was most to be venerated, and conferred such blessings, should degenerate into idle ceremony; and that the expression of the holiest feelings should ever be exchanged for words uttered without thought, which deadens the mind and leaves the heart empty and cold. And yet our Redeemer found this abuse of what is most sacred general amongst his people. They had degraded prayer into a court-service, and thought to honour God, when they repeated words before him without consideration, and often and loudly addressed him, whilst they were far from him in heart and mind. They had converted their devotion into a trade, and prayed at the corners of the streets in order to be seen of men; that they might pass for pious, though their hearts were unclean and evil. They made many words, like the heathen, that they might without piety and faith, and merely through the charm of prayer, draw down heaven upon earth, bend the will of the Eternal, and extort his blessings; but as to the proper intercourse of a reverential soul with God, few amongst his contemporaries had any clear sense of it or any taste for it. The pious Man then taught men to pray, and opened to them therewith a new fountain of pure felicity, which hitherto had flowed copiously but for few. This is his merit, that he taught us to know the Father, and imparted to us a filial reverence of him, and only by these means was man qualified for prayer, and made capable of its blessings. As long, my friends, as love of the world, indolence, and religious indifference, prevent thousands from performing this sacred duty; as long as one portion of Christians is ashamed of intercourse with God, or asserts it to be useless and a waste of time, and another with gross superstition considers prayer as rendering a service to God, and as a secret influence for biassing eternal destiny; as long as others with vile hypocrisy profane what is most sacred, and carry on a sordid trade with their sanctimonious manners; so long are the instructions and warnings of Jesus not superfluous, and meditation thereon may still be highly fruitful in disseminating a pure worship of God, and a genuine religious temper. And this determines us to call your attention to-day to two equally important defects, and to discourse at present on the abuse, and the neglect, of prayer. When man discerns in the appearances of the visible world the eternal, invisible, creating Spirit, which animates and fills all things, and whose breath pervades the whole creation; when he perceives his power and wisdom and goodness in the smallest as in the greatest of his works, and does homage to the Exalted One, whom no eye can behold and no thought can reach; when every thing around him points to a hidden first Cause, and the mind which thinks within him makes him sensible of his descent from this ineffable Being; then holy feelings are awakened in his breast, with high animation he utters the name of the Creator of worlds.--He, he alone, fills his whole soul, and his mute delight becomes a prayer, with which he praises that glorious Being, whose honour the heavens declare, and whose wonders the whole earth proclaims. At one time this holy feeling pours itself forth in loud hymns; at another it remains speechless, confined in the breast, the tongue devoid of utterance, and becomes the silent adoration of the soul in spirit and in truth. When man has a lively feeling of his dependence on this exalted Being, when he acknowledges his own impotency, and must be sensible that he is but dust which God's breath animates during his pleasure; when with all his efforts he cannot add one cubit to his stature, nor secure one hair on his head, and receives and must expect all that he has and stands in need of from the hand of the Lord of nature; then he prostrates himself before the Mighty One, who creates and destroys, who gives and takes away, who orders the whole destiny of man, his prosperity and adversity, and brings the thanksgiving and the wishes of his heart before him who knoweth the heart, and stammers out his petitions for the manifold gifts of life to him, who rules over inexhaustible abundance--the sense of his weaknesses and his wants inclines the soul to lift itself devoutly to God, and prays! When man feels the iron stroke Of fate, and vainly contends against the hidden power, to which kings as well as beggars are subject; when he struggles with severe trials and sorrows, and in the night of misfortune beholds no guiding star enlightening his path till the coming of a brighter day; then he pours out his lamentation before the Lord of fate, and implores consolation and help from the Mighty One, from whom help must come; he prays in anguish of soul; and faith and trust, peace and hope, return into the mournful heart. The exigencies of life lead the way to devout, indefatigable prayer; when calamity assails a man, he seeks God, and, when he chastises, cries to him in his agony. Is it not then incontrovertible, my friends, that prayer is as much a necessity for man, as it is the duty of a rational creature towards the Creator? Every reflection on God and nature and ourselves involuntarily raises the soul to him; every remembrance of our limited faculties and weakness leads us to him; every earthly want bears us from earth to the heaven above, where dwells our help, and every wish of the heart seeks to be expressed before Him, who can satisfy the wishes of the heart. And whoever has not in his own life felt any incitement to prayer, verily, he has renounced his rational nature, and lives like the beast, without the most distant idea of his superior dignity and his nobler calling. Must it not then surprise us that there can be any persons, who have so little sense of holy things, that they profane these blissful outpourings of the heart to God, and convert prayer into an idle babbling; which gives the lie to devotion; who put on the semblance of godliness, whose power they deny? Men, who go forth with pious mien, and pray at the corners of the streets, with the crafty intention of being seen and praised, or who think that prayer is a service which must be agreeable to the Eternal, even when the heart has no participation in it, and knows not what the mouth speaks! Or those who ascribe a secret power to a multitude of words and the frequent repetitions of studied forms, and fancy they can give the law to heaven and turn fate by the charm of prayers uttered without devotion and without sense! And yet there are hypocrites and superstitious persons in abundance, who know not the blessedness of a pious intercourse with God, and do not feel its necessity, and who exercise a mere trade with their affected sanctity; who would either deceive men, or prevail upon the Eternal to reward their thoughtless worship, and whose hearts are incapable of that sensibility, which true devotion must produce. "I tell you," says Jesus, "they have their reward.' " They defraud themselves of the happiest hours of life, and of the sublimest feelings of which the mortal breast is capable. Yet, perhaps, the number of those is still greater who do not consider it worth the trouble to deceive the world, and who entirely neglect and scorn prayer. The spirit of the time may be changed, but its fruit is not more gratifying than that of earlier ages. In the place of the abuse which was practised in prayer, an aversion from prayer has crept in amongst us, and superstition and hypocrisy are supplanted, not by the spirit of a purer sense of religion, but by levity and forgetfulness of God. Look into Christian families around you, look to yourselves and your nearest acquaintances. Where is that pious disposition of our fathers, which began and ended every thing with God? How many still think of making a quiet intercourse with him their most important and daily occupation, and of preparing themselves by devotion for the most decisive steps and the most momentous undertakings of their lives? How many can yet say with David, "It is good for me to hold me fast by God, to put my trust in the Lord God'?" "Have I not remembered thee in my bed, and thought upon thee when I was waking?" We are become strange to him, and he to us: we fancy ourselves gods who do not need his aid; we ourselves create and govern, and imagine ourselves to be supreme. We emerge from the arms of sleep, and lay ourselves down to rest, we enjoy the gifts of the earth, and take the blessings of fortune, and no eye looks gratefully, no hand is raised adoringly, towards heaven. We often hear prayer in the church, or at solemnities, or at the table supplied for our use, and we are ashamed so much as to clasp the hands before God; we act the part of absent men, and pity those weak persons, who are not yet able to break loose from the antiquated custom. We educate our children in all knowledge worth acquiring--the art of praying we hold unnecessary for them, and a generation grows up, to whom the first thing, which used formerly to be entrusted to the young soul to keep, remains unknown; and it is no exaggeration when I assert, that hundreds of adult Christians do not know nor understand even the prayer which Jesus taught his disciples. Thus we giddily proceed through life without God, and when at length his hand lies heavy upon us, and calamity reminds us of his existence and his power, then we have forgotten how to draw near to him; we are become strangers in our Father's house, love and faith and trust have departed from us, and we are alone with our pain, and without comfort, on the day of affliction. Friends, if this is to be the fruit of our superior information, O then let us wish back again the times of pious simplicity and an unsophisticated fear of God; the world was then happier, and richer in nobleness of mind than in the enjoyments of life. The wisdom in which we pride ourselves does not replace that peace-inspiring belief in a higher Being, who is a Father to us, and the independence of which we boast, does not render us so happy as the feeling that we belong to the Lord of Spirits, who accepts and guides with love those who come to him with love and a clean heart. O, ye know not what delights ye rob yourselves of, when ye shun acquaintance with the holy and gracious One, who ought to be all things to you! In the stillness of solitude the mina collects itself to more serious thoughts and to holy feelings; it is then nearer to that Being who fills all in all, and is blest in this proximity. Then is the soul elevated to God, the restless turmoil of earth and its low occupations disappear before the Eternal, and man looks on himself as a citizen of a higher world. Then faith and love and hope bear him on the wings of devotion to God above, and a heaven opens to the enraptured sight. Then confidence gives utterance to our wishes, and heavy distress is poured out before the Father in meek lamentation, and the heart beats with more ease and tranquillity. Then composure and consolation flow into sorrowing souls, and we collect fortitude from these hours to bear the anxieties of life, and God's strength proves mighty in the weak. Then we learn worthily to wage the hot conflict of life, and remain conquerors even in death. In every thing we triumph, for "Faith is the victory which overcometh the world [7] ." O, all ye pious souls, to whom prayer is not yet foolishness nor a subject of ridicule, declare aloud to your brethren what enjoyment ye owe to conversation with God, and that ye have known no brighter and more delightful hour than that in which ye have lived to him and to yourselves alone. Tell them aloud, "one day in his courts is better than a thousand" spent elsewhere; and teach them that man, whether in prosperity or adversity, cannot do without his God. If in the storms of life and in severe trials ye have indebted to a belief in his wisdom and love, and to the effusions of the oppressed heart before him, for rest and strength and comfort and serenity, proclaim it loudly, that faith and prayer were the firm supports which prevented you from sinking, and that there is no joy to be compared with that of holding fast by God. May this pious temper again return to an erring generation; may the Holy One, who taught us to pray in spirit and in truth, find us obedient disciples! Ah! we stand in need of this temper in times of disturbance, of care, and endless confusion; and when the mind does not learn to seek refuge in God, it loses itself in the stormy tumult of life, and its fairest hopes and joys perish. Let us pray, in order to be acquainted with the God to whom we belong, and to whom we go; let us pray in the time of prosperity that lie may hear us when we are in trouble. Let us pray in the stillness of solitude and in the assembly of our brethren, where congregational devotion more strongly affects the mind, and excites feelings which disclose a heaven to us. Let us pray even in this hour, as Jesus taught us to pray. O, this hour is sacred to me, which has gratified the fondest wish of my heart, once again to pray with you, with you, whom no distance has estranged from the heart that loves: with you and for you, and for the welfare of this country and mankind. That the kingdom of God may come to us; that truth may spread abroad, and virtue predominate; that piety and the obedience of childhood may rest upon us all, and godliness be productive of a happy life; that our native country may prosper, and its revered prince enjoy a calmer evening; that his good disposition may descend upon all the sons and daughters of the country, and the fear of God dwell in the land; that we may be delivered from every trial of life, and that a better home may one day receive us into more perfect happiness;--this we beg in the name of Jesus, and with devout faith in a God of wisdom and love. To him, the Glorious and Eternal, be honour and thanksgiving and adoration, now and for evermore. Amen. __________________________________________________________________ [7] 1 John v. 4. __________________________________________________________________ SERMON IV. BY TYSCHIRNER. (Preached in 1816.) THE WORLD PURIFIED BY THE JUDGMENTS OF GOD. SERMON IV. THE WORLD PURIFIED BY THE JUDGMENTS OF GOD. COLLECT your thoughts, my brethren, and listen attentively to my words, for I shall solemnly address you to-day on the most solemn subject that the human mind can conceive--the judgments by which the Lord of the universe makes manifest his righteousness. I will direct your view to God, who sits in judgment on our sinful race, that veneration and pious. awe may penetrate your hearts; but that then, when you perceive in the Judge the Father also, and discover in the revelations of his justice, the manifestations also of his love, trust and hope may mix with these feelings, and your meditation end in deep adoration of the highly-exalted Being, who sits eternally enthroned in solemn majesty, and yet is a God of grace and compassion. But that you may rightly interpret my words, and estimate the divine judgments agreeably to the doctrine of Christianity, I shall first of all oppose a double error, which at One time misleads men into uncharitable judgments, at another involves them in inextricable difficulties, and has often shaken their faith. This is partly the opinion, according to which the Divine justice is conceived as only occasionally acting, and consequently the Divine judgments are looked upon not as a continuing, but as an interrupted operation of God; and partly the presumption, that the misfortune, which falls upon individuals or on whole nations and ages, is the measure of their guilt. The living, the ever-creating and ruling, the all-pervading and all-animating God, whom Christianity teaches us to know and adore, never turns his eye from human affairs, never lets his arm rest, and does not, like an earthly king, rise but occasionally to chastise the disobedient, and to curb the daring. His justice as well as his goodness continues through all times, and is a progressive uninterrupted operation. Sin is unceasingly punished; retribution begins with the evil deed, yea with the evil intention, although in the external world it is often not visible till after a long time, and often not at all; for the laws of the holy Governor of the world are eternal and immutable, nothing stops his everlasting rule, which penetrates the whole world, "the Lord never suffers his eyes to sleep, nor his eyelids to slumber." But it is still more important to combat the opinion, that misfortune is the measure of guilt, which is then most clearly discerned to be error, when we contemplate the judgment of God gone out against whole countries and generations. For since in fact the generation which sinned, and the people that deserved its misfortunes, remain; but the individuals which compose the people or generation, change; it is possible, that the children on whom the punishment, the consequence of sin, falls, are less guilty than their fathers. Although, therefore, all are guilty, whom punishment, which follows sin, overtakes, (for all partake more or less in the universal guilt) yet we are not to take their misfortune as the measure of their delinquency, and assert that the nations and people whom great distress, occasioned by sin, has befallen, are guiltier than others. Hence it is that not all misfortune can be considered as punishment, and we have no sure marks by which to distinguish deserved from undeserved sufferings. For God sends calamity not merely to punish but to prove, and not only sin but nature also, (which destroys while it builds, and wounds while it delights), and the will of others, prepare sorrow and pain for man. Unmerited sufferings, therefore, often befal the individual, as well as whole people and generations. On this account, fate must not be the measure of guilt and of merit; and whoever attempts to adopt such a measure concerning individuals or nations, soon finds himself entangled in such difficulties, that he despairs of perceiving the hand of God in human affairs. For this reason Jesus Christ has expressly declared himself in opposition to the opinion that every unfortunate is a criminal, and that the greatness of his distress testifies of his guilt, especially, when it was related to him, that Pilate had caused several Galilaeans to be killed, while offering sacrifices in the temple. "Suppose ye," said the Lord to those who announced this event to him, "Suppose ye, that these Galilaeans were sinners above all Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, nay; but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." But although the degree of calamity must not be taken as a criterion of the degree of guilt, we must nevertheless, if we believe in God, own his judicial dispensations in human affairs; and. although his justice, as his goodness, pervades all times, yet it is visibly manifested only on particular occasions. Now the revelations of Divine justice, such events as attract the special notice of men, in which we clearly perceive a connexion of calamity and ruin with sin and guilt, we call the judgments of God, and must call them so, though the amount of merit and demerit may not be estimated by the fate that attends them. We see how a period of disorder and distraction, of bloody conflicts and unutterable misery, comes upon a whole quarter of the globe; and whilst we search for the causes of this ruin, we discover its foundation in the disregard of sacred things and of right, and in a licentiousness and selfishness, which daringly breaks through the bounds of civil order, overturns every thing, if it can but raise itself, and allows itself every possible liberty and indulgence. We say with right, that the judgment of God is come upon the generation of such a period; for God has so ordered it, that calamity and ruin follow the moral degeneracy of nations and their rulers, without our being at the same time able to maintain, that the generation experiencing such calamity is more culpable than the preceding ones, which propagated the moral degeneracy in the succeeding age and prepared its ruin. We see how a nation that proudly and overbearingly exalted itself, and subjugated, plundered, and brought low the neighbouring nations, has been conquered and humbled. We say with reason, that the judgment of God has overtaken this people; for God has so ordered it, that oppression gives strength and courage to the aggrieved to turn against the oppressor, and to be victorious in the struggle of desperation: we say with reason, that the judgment of God has overtaken this people, yet without declaring them to be worse than other nations, or finding in the victory of their conquerors a testimony of their moral worthiness. We see the criminal receive the reward of his deeds. We say with reason, the avenging hand of God has seized him; for it is the dispensation of God, that civil society expels from its bosom him, who has wickedly violated the rights of men, and thus the crime engenders his eventual downfal; we fairly acknowledge the judgment of God in the punishment of the offender, yet without determining the degree of his guilt, or asserting that he is worse than all the multitude who stand gazing around the scene of his disgrace. This, my friends, is the notion we ought to have of the judgments of God;--Revelations of his righteousness, significant events exciting attention, in which we discern the connexion of misfortune and ruin with sin and guilt, dark clouds which we see collecting from the vapours exhaled from the earth, and which, menacing destruction, hover now over individuals, now over whole nations. If we believe in God, we must seek and find manifestations of his justice in human concerns, and, therefore, consider events occasioned by sin, and productive of ruin, as Divine judgments. And if we only take care not to regard calamity as the measure of the guilt of those on whom it falls, and do not forget that we are all of us sinners, and consequently no one, who is involved in the general distress, is an innocent sufferer; then every difficulty is removed, and the belief in the righteousness of God exhibited in the world, without misleading us into uncharitable opinions, fills us only with reverence, pious awe, and humility. For in the whole circle of imagination there is nothing greater and more sublime, more solemn and awe-inspiring, than the thought of God entering into judgment with the sinful race of men. This very solemn thought, however, has its bright and pleasing side, and in this resembles the moon, whose face towards the earth is at one time dark, at another bright and luminous. For even in his judgments God manifests his goodness, even in the solemnity of the Judge the love of the Father is displayed. We shall acknowledge this, if we contemplate the judgments of God as a purification of the sinful world. But let us to-day so contemplate them, that they may appear to us as thunder-clouds, which together with the destroying lightning send down fruitful rain; and that the gentle feeling of confiding love may mix with the solemn awe of our veneration. Malachi iii. 2, 3, 4. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' sope: and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years. HOWEVER we may expound these words, my friends, the Prophet obviously speaks of a Divine judgment, which shall cleanse and purify the Jewish people. The day of the coming of the Lord is the day of judgment, and when the Prophet asks, "Who may abide the day of his coming, and who shall stand when he appeareth? "he thereby warns his hearers of the awfulness of the Judge. But he teaches them to be mindful, not only of the judgment, but of its salutary consequences. "He, the Judge," saith the prophet, "shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in ,righteousness." He here means to say, that this judgment is not merely a correction, but also the means of improvement, and that the nation purged and purified, freed from sin and reformed by it, 1 will turn again to its Lord and God, and appear before him in righteousness. What the Prophet says of a single transaction of God having reference to his people, may be said in general of the judgment which pervades all ages, and affects the whole race of men. It is a purification of the sinful world. Dwell awhile with me on this view of the revelations of Divine justice, and hear me with attention, when I discourse to you of the purification of the sinful world by the judgments of God, and shew you, partly, that we must consider the dispensations of Divine righteousness, as a purging of the sinful world, and partly, of what advantage it is to take this view of the judgments of God. But the consoling persuasion, that the judgment of God is not only a judgment, but also a purification of the sinful world; that God, whilst he makes calamity and ruin to follow sin and guilt, not merely punishes evil, but also corrects and reforms it; is grounded on the holiness and wisdom, which we must necessarily suppose in the Supreme Being. For justice and goodness are inseparably united in that Holy One, who invariably wills what is well known to be good, so that his justice is manifested in the dispensations of his goodness, and his goodness in the exhibitions of his justice. It is the one sacred will, which we, viewing it in one light, call goodness, and in another, justice. Every revelation of Divine justice must, therefore, be a revelation of Divine goodness also; and however severe the countenance of the Judge, however dark his eye, however threatening his uplifted arm, may appear to us, we must, nevertheless, discern clemency in his se. verity, and love in his wrath. The thought of the Divine wisdom leads us to the same conclusion. For the essence of wisdom consists in this, that its every aim serves as the means for a higher purpose, and all these means and aims closely connected unite in one last object. We must then, since we ascribe the highest wisdom to God, admit that the objects of his justice, the punishments he sends forth over the sinful world, are, at the same time, means for the attainment of other ends, means for the cultivation and improvement of our species, and that all his ordinances and dispensations meet in this last and highest object, to guide the human race to moral perfection. Thus the view of his judgments, as a purification of the sinful world, necessarily results from the holiness and wisdom of God. Therefore the Scripture also says of God, "He reproveth, and nurtureth, and teacheth, and bringeth again, as a shepherd his flock [8] ;" therefore it instructs us to consider the sufferings of life as chastisements, and chastisements as proofs of Divine love; and exhibits to us now the punishing severity of the Judge, now the forgiving love of the Father. If we believe in God, we must believe in a judgment of God, which is conspicuous in the history of the world, and is shewn in whole nations and generations, as well as in individuals; for the ground of the connexion of distress and ruin with sin and guilt, can only be found in the will of him, who has given to the world its laws, and guides destiny according to his discretion. But we must contemplate this judgment as a cleansing of the sinful world, when we have acknowledged that the righteous Being is also all-gracious, and the Judge, the Father, and Preceptor, of our species. And now, if fate appears to us as God's judgment, and the judgment as a purification of the sinful world, we look up with reverence, indeed, and holy awe, but still with trust and love, to him who "sits as a refiner and purifier of silver;" for the fire that he pours forth over the world? terribly as its flame may blaze, and painful as may be its effects, destroys and consumes not, it but cleanses and purifies; it resembles not the flame, which, raging, ungovernable, and destructive, rushes through the dwellings of men, but the fire which the artist with design and caution kindles in his laboratory, and renews and extinguishes at the proper time. Thus the belief, that the sinful world is purified by the judgments of God, is founded on the belief in the Divine holiness and wisdom. But experience also corroborates it, (though it may not of itself fully warrant the belief) since it teaches us that such events as appear to us to be God's judgments, make manifest the difference between the good and the bad, extirpate much evil, and prove that which is good; and thus resemble the refining process, which separates the dross from the silver, consumes the worthless matter mixed with it, and hardens and proves the purified and generous metal, In the days of ease and prosperity the difference between the good and the bad does not, indeed, disappear, but yet it is obscured; the evil clothed in a pleasing exterior seems to approximate to the good, and the good finds less frequent opportunity to display itself in its full strength, and to stand forth in its distinguishing features, discernible and visible to all. But times of great distress, times of disorder, contention, and confusion, render this distinction visible and clear; at such a period hatred and love, cowardice and courage, selfishness and devotedness, are seen in strong contrast; and good and evil appear as it were perfectly personified, and visible to all, in the heroes in virtue, and in the great criminals, which such times call forth on the public stage of the world. By this we may perceive that purification is the aim of the judgments of God. But further, history also teaches us, that at all times much evil perished in the whirlpool of appalling events, and opinions, constitutions, and customs sank in it, which only the force of a devastating torrent could exterminate. Such an effect, for instance, was produced by the irruption of the nations which took place in the fifth century, and which appears to us as a judgment of God, that the Romans brought down upon themselves, first, by an insatiable spirit of conquest and an overbearing oppression of the nations, and then by a deep corruption of morals that made them weak and effeminate. Unspeakable calamity to the south and west of our quarter of the globe was the consequence of this event: many cities were destroyed, and whole countries converted into deserts. But much that was evil and pernicious perished at the same time. Rapacious Rome, that had heavily offended against three quarters of the world, was destroyed, and the iron and burdensome yoke of her dominion was taken off the neck of the subject world, and the enervated effeminacy, and languid worn out existence of a degenerate race, gave way to the fresh life of ruder, indeed, but more youthful and vigorous nations. Or would you have an example from modern history? Consider the event, on account of which posterity will call our age the age of revolution. It was the judgment of God, which France called down by her thirst of conquest, which acquired, indeed, some provinces, but had wasted her wealth by her immorality; which dissolved the bands of domestic and social life by her infidelity; which shook the foundations of rectitude and integrity; and by the contentions of her citizens, one part of whom obstinately maintained oppressive privileges, and, by dissolute living, mocked at the general distress, while another would not acknowledge any distinction of ranks, nor comply with any ordinances. Inexpressible calamity was certainly the result not only to France, but to all Europe. But we must look upon this also as a purification of the world; for much that was noxious and pernicious, was swallowed up in the abyss of revolution. It has taken away in many places privileges founded on relations long since changed, which one class maintained to the disadvantage and detriment of the other classes of civil society, and removed the restrictions of the exercise of religion, which in most countries the stronger had imposed upon the weaker; equality of civil rights and freedom of divine worship, though some nations may not yet have the full enjoyment of these benefits, will accrue, as a permanent gain, from the ferment and the struggles of recent times, and will descend to future generations. Thus the Divine judgment extirpates what is evil and corrupt, removes oppressive relations of life, puts an end to decayed forms of government, and changes the opinions and habits of nations. But at the same time it proves that which is good. It is misfortune that exercises moral strength, and tries charity, confidence, and courage. He who preserved his charity amidst the struggles of hostile passions; he who trusted in God, when destiny was enveloped in the gloom of night; he who stood firm and unshaken, even when the ground trembled beneath his feet; him has the cleansing judgment of God proved. That which is true and good must go through the storms of events that agitate countries and change the world, in order that its subsistence under every alteration of opinions, customs, and relations, may demonstrate its Divine origin, and its connexion with the essential wants of human nature; for we justly assume, that the ground of such imperishable duration lies not in fortuitous causes, but in the Everlasting himself. Thus has Christianity been proved to be the work of God and eternal truth, since, in the midst of falling kingdoms and adverse schools of human wisdom, it survived and sank not, when a whole nation publicly renounced it, and half the world was unfaithful to it. In this manner, my friends, our belief, that the judgment of God is a purification of the sinful world, is confirmed by experience. And now we see the judgment of the world in the history of the world, and in the judgment a cleansing of the world,--a cleansing which does not terminate, because sin does not cease,--but which benefits our species; destroying and wounding indeed, but also extirpating evil and proving that which is good. We must preserve this belief, that the world is purified through God's judgments, in the first place, for this reason; because that alone gives us a grand and solemn, and at the same time a consolatory, view of the history of the world. If you see nothing in the actions and destinies of nations, but a succession of bloody wars and quickly broken treaties of peace, of kingdoms rising and passing away, of countries separating and uniting; a multifarious picture, worthy of contemplation, is certainly exhibited before you, but not a great and imposing spectacle. For then it is nothing more than a long line of common appearances, a long- continued play of the passions, incidentally varying, but essentially always the same. The history of the world, then, only becomes grand and sublime, when we perceive the Spirit of God moving over the depths of the stream of time, and behold the reflection of the Divine glory in the mirror of its waves. He only, who finds a manifestation of God in the history of the world, and in declining and rising kingdoms discerns him who "bringeth low and lifteth up," who "puts down the mighty from their seats, and exalts them of low degree;" he only can look with holy awe and high conceptions at the great spectacle of migrating nations, smoking cities, falling thrones, contending armies, and ruined empires. Solemn, indeed, and more than solemn,--dreadful and terrific is the Lord passing in judgment through the world; who destroys kingdoms that have become great only by conquest and plunder; delivers up enervated and effeminate nations to the disgrace of slavery; sends discord, tumult and rebellion into countries, that turn from him and mock at his holy laws; who punishes the injustice of kings by the rage of their revolted people, and the degeneracy of the people by the scourge of tyrants: and holy awe fills our souls, when we view in the flames consuming Jerusalem, in Rome's falling ruins, and in the horrible disorders of France, the avenging arm of the Judge. To observe the history of the world as a continued judgment of the world, is a serious contemplation: but by means of viewing it in this light it acquires a religious character, so that we see in it not merely a spectacle of changing forms and appearances, but a manifestation of God; and though his finger is not always clearly to be perceived, yet we may every where be sensible of his rule and superintendence. And however grave and serious this consideration may be, yet it is at the same time consolatory, for this judicial visitation is also a purification of the world, so that not only the justice but also the goodness of God is revealed in it. God does not destroy the kingdoms which have been aggrandised by conquest and robbery, with this intent only, that they may crumble into ruins, but that it may be made manifest to the world, that every work of unrighteousness bears the germ of destruction within itself: he does not give up indolent and effeminate nations to the yoke of slavery, that they may wear perpetual chains, but that they should learn under oppression to be conscious of their strength, and raise themselves again with vigour and courage: discord and confusion are not spread through the people, who scorned what was just and sacred, that they may exterminate each other in endless civil wars, but that they may reform and return to God and to a regard for rectitude. The judging is also the cleansing of the world; and now a consolatory view of the history of the world is opened to us, for we trace through its dark paths the steps of him, who bears the sword in his right hand, but the palm-branch in his left, who can indeed strike, but also heal, and turn mourning into joy. To preserve the belief, that the world is purified through God's judgments, is, further, important on this account, because it exercises, especially in times when the government of Divine justice is more obviously apparent, an awakening and consoling influence on our hearts. Both the solemnity of the Lord in judgment, and the love of the Father cleansing the sinful world, must, when the judgment of God is revealed on us and our contemporaries, lead us to reflection, and from that to repentance, and from repentance to amendment. Every one shares, more or less, in the general guilt; we must, therefore, all bow in humility and contrition before the Mighty One, when he executeth judgment. No one is clean; it is incumbent, therefore, on every one, when he sees the visitation gone forth in the age in which he lives, to rise and meet God who would draw men to him by his visitations, and open his heart, that he also may be cleansed and purified, to that grace, which does not always descend as gentle dew, but sometimes as the fire of lightning. Forget not then, my friends, the call of Divine, grace, recently emitted from tempestuous clouds; and keep the vows you made to God in the days of distress. The Divine judgment is a rousing from the sleep of sin; and happy are all they, who awake and stand up, and turn from levity and folly to serious wisdom, from luxury and licentiousness to pure morals, from selfishness and injustice to strict integrity and sympathizing charity, from a vain love of the world to that faith, which teaches us to overcome the world. And when the judgment of God leads to your sanctification, then, my friends, then you will feel the consoling power of the belief, that it is a purification of the sinful world. For then you will be certain through your own experience, that calamity sent from God has an object; and your conviction, that all the ways of God are wisdom and goodness, will rest on the surest grounds; so that you will be able to contemplate disastrous occurrences, if not without tears, yet without immoderate lamentation, and to support with courage and composure, whatever the time of visitation may compel you to bear. It is, lastly, of advantage to maintain the belief that the world is purified through God's judgments, because it leads us to expect the maturing to perfection of our species. However often the goldsmith melts the metal and repeats the refinement; his end is at length attained, the silver lies before him, pure and spotless, clear and bright as crystal or the dew-drop sparkling in the morning sun. In like manner must the design of God with respect to our race be finally accomplished. Long as the trial may last, often as the purification may be repeated, the day must come at length, when man unspotted and clean, freed from sin, and glorified, shall stand before his Maker and Fashioner. We are the children of God, but alas! have departed from the Father, and wandered abroad. Yet we are not for ever parted from home; we shall once again return and find our Father's house. Our souls are shapes of light proceeding from the source of all life and light. But their light is no longer the pure light of heaven; they are obscured by the shadows of earth, clouded by sin and error. Yet the obscurity will not last for ever, the shadows will pass away, the dimness will gradually disappear, and at last they will return to God in the same brightness, in which they at first proceeded from him. All things are from God, and all went forth from him pure and good, for "God saw every thing that he had made, and behold, it was very good;" all things return to God, for "in him and through him and to him are all things;" every thing, therefore, will be perfected again in its original purity and goodness. The design of cleansing, is purification; the end of enlightening, is admission to glory; home is the ultimate aim of the wanderer. Yes, God conducts our species to a final consummation; a time is coming, in which there will be no more error, no hatred, no sin, no pain, and no death; when all will become light and glory, love and life, peace and bliss. This is the time to which the saying of the Apostle refers; "So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" Amen. __________________________________________________________________ [8] Eccles. xviii. 13. __________________________________________________________________ SERMON V. BY REINHARD. ON NEW YEAR'S DAY. SERMON V. ON NEW YEAR'S DAY. "O PRAISE the Lord in his holiness, praise him in the firmament of his power, praise him in his noble acts, praise him according to his excellent greatness! Let every thing that hath breath, praise the Lord. Amen!" To take a higher point of ground than is usual, in order to obtain a wider prospect, and especially to survey our earthly life in its totality, we never feel ourselves more forcibly incited, my hearers, than on the morning of a new year. He who has just passed through a large period of time, and sees before him one equally large, can scarcely refrain from raising himself from particular to more general objects, and contemplating every thing more in the aggregate. For shall he not look backwards, in order to enquire what he has done in the past time, what progress he has made in it, what he may consider as finished, as acquired, as the clear profit of his exertions? Shall he not also eagerly direct his view forwards into futurity, in order to consider, how much time may yet be granted to him; to determine what he has to do, to form a plan for the future, and to regulate his whole conduct? Lastly, the quick change of our years, their never-ceasing stream-like course, their almost inconceivable rapidity of flight, when is this more perceptible to us, than on the morning of a new year? But is not at the same time the representation of our whole earthly existence pressed upon us? Must we not be sensible, how short is its period, how lost it is in the abyss of centuries, how it vanishes into nothing, when we compare it with the existence of Him, who continues for ever as He is, and whose years have no end! Thus disposed to stand on higher ground, to extend on all sides your sphere of view, usually confined to daily concerns, and to elevate yourselves to the conception of what is great, general, and comprehensive, have you now assembled here; this I may assume with a degree of certainty. And how do I congratulate you on this frame of mind! Would you enter on the new year with meditations, with feelings, with resolutions, worthy of reasonable creatures and of true Christians, then must your minds burst the limits which ordinarily confine them, they must with thought unrestrained ponder over years and centuries, they must be conscious of a destiny and a dignity, which lifts them above all earthly things, they must adopt measures suitable to this destiny and dignity, they must, in short, observe the true position which is allotted them in the immeasurable kingdom of God, and according to that direct and order their whole conduct. Our position in the immeasurable kingdom of God! What a consideration, my brethren! That we live in an universe, which stretches itself on all sides without bounds; that this universe is the work, the sphere of action, and the imperishable empire of the Infinite; that the place which we occupy in it is not the result of accident, but of the wisdom of Him who disposes and governs all things; that we are thereby brought into contact with the whole, into connexion with all that it contains, and into manifold relations with the same; that from these relations arise duties which we acknowledge and which we must fulfil, if we would answer the purposes of God, if we would not disgrace ourselves, if we would not offer a contradiction to the whole system, and plunge ourselves into misery: all this must be evident to us, this must employ all our meditations, this must determine all our resolutions and designs, if we wish to enter on the new year with reasonable prudence, and to pass through it with benefit to ourselves and others. Raise then your view, beloved brethren; look well at your situation, and consider, on what theatre of his glory, in what part of his stupendous creation, in what station in his kingdom, God has placed you. How will your breast heave and expand at this survey! how important will that period, which we this day commence, thus become to you; and with what confidence, with what resolutions, with what hopes, will you advance into it! We fall down then in adoration before thee, O thou Infinite, who "coverest thyself with light as a garment, thou who spreadest out the heavens like a curtain, thou who hast laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever." Make us understand and feel, with joy and elevation of mind, to what thou hast destined us, and let this hour be the commencement of thy blessings for this year! We supplicate thee in silent devotion. Psalm ciii. 15-22. As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone and the place thereof shall know it no more, &c. &c. How wonderfully is the creation of God displayed to us in these words, my hearers, how immense is it represented to us! "The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting," as the sacred Bard. exclaims. Thus the creation of God is immeasurable in duration, and will never cease to be the happy scene of his grace and his love which blesseth all things. And who can comprehend its extent? "The Lord hath prepared his throne in heaven," continues the Psalmist, "and his kingdom ruleth over all." Wide as the dominion of the true God extends, (and is not this dominion boundless, and do not suns and worlds fill remotest space?) far as this dominion extends, so far reaches the power of the Eternal; to him all things therein are subject. What numbers of creatures, what various beings endowed with feeling, what hosts of mighty and exalted spirits live and act in this immeasurable world! "Bless the Lord, ye his angels," says the sacred Poet in continuation, "ye that excel in strength, that do his commandments; praise the Lord, all ye his hosts; praise the Lord, all his works." And what sensations does the Psalmist himself experience at this view into immensity, at this song of praise of all creatures, at this all-embracing sovereignty of the Almighty? It is true, the feeling of his transitory nature, of his nothingness, first strikes him; alas! he appears as a flower which soon decays; as grass which suddenly fadeth away. But a glance at the mercy of the Lord, which "is from everlasting to everlasting," re-invigorates him; consoled he looks around him in the infinite kingdom of the All-gracious, he feels himself elevated as a citizen thereof, and at last cheerfully joins in the universal song of praise; with joy he cries out, "Bless the Lord, O my soul." What a point of view is here opened to us, my brethren! Where could we more appropriately celebrate the morning of the new year, than on a spot, which affords us prospects into the boundless creation of God, which every where displays to us the sovereignty of the Eternal, which reveals to us the wonders of everlasting goodness, where we hear on all sides the hymn of praise of God's happy creatures, and where we must observe in what relation we ourselves stand to the universe? Here then let us stay; here let us submit our meditations to the guidance of the sacred writer. Fruitful reflection on our situation in the immeasurable kingdom of God shall employ our thoughts. The author of our text describes this in all its bearings and relations; and we need only apply what he teaches us, in order to find it full of instruction and encouragement at the beginning of the new year. Our situation in the immeasurable kingdom of God is, according to our text, in its present state a most uncertain and transient condition; this should make us serious and humble at the opening of the new year. But it is a place within the sphere of everlasting Goodness; this should cheer and comfort us at the opening of the new year. It is a station in the dominion of supreme Righteousness; this should excite in us the most conscientious and ardent desire of improvement at the opening of the new year. It is a rank in the gradations of the noblest and most exalted creatures; this creates an obligation of the most generally useful activity at the commencement of the new year: lastly, it is a place, where we are surrounded by the songs of praise of all the creatures of God; and this should animate us, as we enter on the new year, to the most joyful worship of God. Let us take a closer view of each of these relations. Our situation in the immeasurable kingdom of God is at present a most uncertain and transitory state, which the author of our text could ill conceal from himself, as it is the first thing which attracts his notice. "The days of man," he cries, "are as grass; he flourisheth as a flower of the field; when the wind goeth over it, it is gone, and the place thereof knoweth it no more." What appears to us more unimportant, my brethren, what do we tread upon with such indifference, as the grass which grows beneath our feet? But such is man in the immense creation, of such little moment is his life to the universe; thousands may die; millions may disappear; the lowly grass is dried up, and is not missed in the vast universe. What is more perishable than a flower? How quickly it fades away, when the scorching breath of summer blows upon it! But such is man and his vital power; so little may he expect a long duration; every trifle, every breath of calamity may destroy him: and how many families, tribes, and nations, have been so entirely swept away from the earth, that the place thereof is no longer known! What shall we say, my brethren? Can we on looking at the immense creation of God deny, that our condition is highly uncertain and transient? Do we not daily see, how the tenderest plants of our species wither around us, how the fairest buds fall off while yet unopened, how the fullest blossoms fade, before they bear fruit? And we ourselves; doth not the killing blast blow on every side? Do not destroying powers every where surround us? Are we not every where subject to the dangerous hazard of dreadful accidents? Are we sure of our life for the next day, nay, for the next hour? And of what consequence will it be if we disappear? Will the vase universe undergo any change, will the order of things be disturbed, will the earth mourn over us? Are we not sensible, that scarcely in the nearest country, scarcely in the nearest town, scarcely even in the nearest houses, will it be perceived that we are no more, and our place will soon be no longer known? What a state, my brethren, what a position in the immeasurable, the everlasting kingdom of God! So many nations, so many races of men, so many generations has the heaven, which spreads its arch above us, beheld arise and pass away! What is the individual in this perpetual decay of all things? What is the moment of our life in the boundless duration of the world? Shall this not make us serious and humble on entering the new year? Let no one however complain, that he is led to so dispiriting a contemplation on a morning, which one is wont to greet with joy. Ye, who know how shameful every deception is, how little is gained by concealment of the truth, ye wiser and better portion of my brethren, O shun not this contemplation; you it alarms not, that our condition on earth is so uncertain and transitory. Only so much the more seriously do we begin the new year; only so much the less indulge in idle dreams; so much the more reasonably contract our wishes; so much the more humbly do we acknowledge for what God has made us, and esteem ourselves no higher than becomes us. And now let the new year produce what it will, it will not surprise us, it will not disappoint our plans; we are prepared for all. But ye, who begin the new year with a high opinion of your importance, with arrogance and pride, shall I not tell you, "the days of man are as grass," which is trodden under foot with contempt, and that may speedily be your fate? Ye, who reckon on a long life, and pass your time in thoughtless security, shall I not tell you, "man is as a flower of the field, when the wind passeth over it, it is gone;" and may not this withering blast at any moment overtake you? Ye, who are absorbed in your schemes and your business, and are dreaming of the brilliant success you will achieve, shall I not cry to you, Yet a little while, and ye will be no more; when one looketh to your place, ye are gone, and then all your projects are frustrated? Ye, lastly, who commence the new year with all your vices, with all your impetuous desires, with all your wild passions, and think to continue your excesses undisturbed, shall I not tell you, "all flesh is grass, and all its excellence is as a flower of the field;" shall I not remind you, in what jeopardy ye stand, and what haste ye must make to save your souls; shall I not exhort and conjure you, "To-day, if ye will hear the voice of God, harden not your hearts?" A most uncertain and transient state is our present situation in the kingdom of God; this is the first impression we receive from the subject. So much the more gratifying must it be to us, that it is at the same time a place within the sphere of an everlasting Goodness, for this must fill us with comfort and cheerfulness on entering the new year. How soon the sacred Poet in our text is exhilarated, my brethren! How soon does he moderate the painful feeling of his short-lived nature by representations of another kind! How he strengthens himself by a view of the grace and compassion of Him, who "hath prepared his throne in heaven!" "The mercy of the Lord," he cries, "is from everlasting to everlasting." The world then is to him the great theatre, the happy dominion of the all-embracing, all-preserving, all-blessing mercy of God; the theatre of a mercy which is "over all his works," which neglects none of his creatures, and which is glorified in the lowest as well as in the highest: the theatre of a mercy, which is never weary of doing good, by which this immeasurable universe is continued from century to century, and the influence of which is infinite and boundless as eternity. And is he not right, my brethren? Is not this view of the world confirmed by all we see in it? The wise order which combines all things; the fullness of life which every where abounds; the variety of creatures which fills all nature; the different ranks of beings gifted with higher and higher endowments, till they rise even to the throne of God; the immense abundance of good things diffused on all sides, the numberless kinds of enjoyment, by which every thing that feels and lives, is refreshed; the unutterable charm, the heavenly beauty spread over all things; is not all this the manifest operation, the speaking testimony, the everlasting glory of a mercy which knows no limits, and which has no other aim than the welfare of its creatures? What a sphere of extraordinary grace has our globe, moreover, become through Christ! No, since the Son of God appeared on earth, it is not to be for a moment doubted that we stand under the inspection of paternal love which takes care of us, which ordains our whole lot, which tolerates our faults with forbearance, which seeks the enlightening, the improvement, and the moral cultivation of our mind, which will ever preserve and guide us. We are placed, my brethren, within the sphere of action of everlasting Goodness, and we are surrounded by its all-prospering activity. But if this is our position in the infinitely vast kingdom of God, how comforted, how cheerful may we pass into that period of time, which this day commences! Although it may be wrapt in darkness, although it will ever be uncertain what may lie concealed in its womb; it is sufficient that we are not the sport of chance, no blind fate hurries us along; a Mercy, which is from everlasting to everlasting, encircles us; we live in its dominion; can any thing then befal us, but what tends to our benefit? Are you happy and contented in your situation? enter the new year with comfort; a Mercy presides over you which will maintain your happiness, as long as is good for you. Are you unfortunate in your circumstances and desirous of a change? enter the new year with comfort; a Mercy presides over you, which will better your condition, as soon as is expedient for you. Do you pine in want and poverty, and are the questions, "What shall we eat, what shall we drink, and wherewithal shall we be clothed," to-day revived in you? enter the new year with comfort; a Mercy rules over you, which has compassion on all its works, which will open its liberal hand, and satisfy you also with good things. Are you troubled by a sense of your transgressions, and feel the reproaches of an awakened conscience? enter the new year with comfort; a Mercy rules over you, which does not "deal with us after our sins, nor reward us according to our iniquities," which will pardon you for Christ's sake, as soon as you manifest a real change. Are you in a state of great weakness, and groan under the burden of a suffering frame? enter the new year with comfort; a Mercy reigns over you, which can be mighty even in weakness, and "will not let you be tempted above that ye are able to bear." Do you see death before you, and does every thing announce that your end is at hand? enter even ye into the new year with comfort, though it be your last; still a Mercy reigns over you, which "is from everlasting to everlasting," which will preserve you even in death, and carry you to a higher scene of its wonders and its blessings. How happy is our situation, my brethren! Within the sphere of everlasting Goodness, and surrounded by its beneficent acts and dispensations, will it be possible that we shall be in want of any good thing? Only forget not, that our position in the measureless kingdom of God is also a station in the dominion of supreme Righteousness, for this should excite in us at the opening of the new year a zealous desire of real improvement. We are not placed in the sphere of a blind, or weak, or partial goodness, a goodness which arbitrarily distributes its favours and lavishes them on the unworthy. Hear the declaration of the Psalmist, "The mercy of the Lord," he cries, "is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children, to such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them." The gifts, therefore, of that Mercy which rules over us are attached to conditions; the sphere in which this Mercy operates is also the dominion of a Righteousness, in which the commandments of a holy covenant are in force; a Righteousness, which administers its laws with the greatest strictness, which estimates the conduct of men with the most precise exactness, which sooner or later rewards every man according to his works. And we feel it, my brethren; our conscience speaks to us with a power which we cannot elude, "In such a station do we stand; there are certain laws which we are bound to observe:" it is by no means of little consequence, whether we fear or scorn the Lord, whether we keep his covenant or transgress it; in the first case only do we act as reasonable beings, in the last we disgrace ourselves and load ourselves with guilt. How perfectly holy is the new covenant established through Christ, under whose laws we, as Christians, live! In that it is an indispensable condition, "He that nameth the name of Christ, let him depart from iniquity;" in that it is an essential doctrine, "Ye shall be holy and perfect as your Father who is in heaven;" in that it is an irrevocable declaration, "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord." And does not experience daily demonstrate, that we are subject to the influence of a strict, incorruptible Justice? But if you forget what obligations your station lays upon you, and transgress the laws of God, what disorders will not arise, into what perplexities will you not fall, what wretchedness will you not incur, with what consternation will you not discover that no wickedness remains unpunished! in the dominion of supreme Righteousness every one receives his deserts! How serious, yet how gratifying; how alarming, yet how encouraging to us, my brethren, as we enter the new year, must be this government of supreme Justice! There is then but one way of converting the year now begun into a year of blessing, namely, real amendment. We must fear Go