Page images
PDF
EPUB

A PLAIN SERMON,

SUGGESTED BY THE PRAYERS APPOINTED TO BE USED DURING THE CONTINUANCE OF OUR DANGER FROM THE PESTILENCE NOW SPREADING OVER A GREAT PART OF EUROPE.

2 CHRON. vii. 13, 14.

If I send pestilence among my people; if my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

On this blessed promise of God it is that the Church relies, when she directs us to pray under our present danger, "Most gracious Father and God, who hast promised forgiveness of sins to all them that with hearty repentance and true faith turn unto thee, look down, we beseech thee, from heaven thy dwelling-place, upon us thy unworthy servants, who, under an awful apprehension of thy judgments, and a deep conviction of our own sinfulness, prostrate ourselves before thee." And happy are they who have this day from their hearts sent up that prayer to the mercy-seat of heaven! And happy this most highly favoured, but least grateful of nations, if the prayer has gone up from the hearts of her people at large! if they have "awfully apprehended" the "judgments" of God, and felt "deeply convinced of their sinfulness !" if they have "humbled themselves," and "turned from their wicked ways!" then may they securely rely on the merciful assurance of the text, "I will hear from heaven, I will forgive their sin, I will heal their land."

My brethren, this prayer of the Church is a very solemn one; it must not be trifled with; "The Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain ;" and it is taking his holy name in vain if we say in his church and before his face, that we are "under an awful apprehension of his judgments," and "a deep conviction of our sinfulness," when we neither feel the one nor the other. If we do not awfully apprehend his judgments, the case is worse with us than we may think-it is no proof of our innocence, but of our hardness of heart. Noah, the "preacher of righteousness," gave the disobedient inhabitants of the earth long warning of God's terrible justice; Lot said to his sons-in-law, "Up, get you out of this place! for the Lord will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons-in-law." Even when the thoughts of men's hearts were only evil continually-even in a city where there were not ten righteous persons-where the people were "sinners before the Lord exceedingly," it never was thought that God would take heed and punish. Yet "God spared not the old world, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly, and, turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes, condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly." It was not

Exod. xx. 7.

+ Gen. xix. 14.

2 Pet. ii. 5, 6.

their carelessness and disregard that could make God reverse his judgment and forego his faithfulness; it was not because they took no heed to his warnings that they ceased to deserve his terrors, or to stand exposed to them; quite otherwise this hardness of heart was the sin which crowned every other, and made them ripe for the harvest of destruction.

God forbid then that we should not have an awful apprehension of his judgments-for he has done more for us than he did for the sinful world before the flood, or for the sinful cities of the plain. They had the warning words indeed, but they saw no part of the judgments God had in store for them till they sank beneath his hand. "They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all." Likewise also it was in the days of Lot; "They did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but, the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all."* But we have had long and timely warning: for more than a twelvemonth have we received accounts from the continent of Europe of the approaching spread of a mortal pestilence; for some months have we heard that the destroying angel was standing on the very shores which face our own; and now we learn at length that he has actually visited us,-that the direful disease has invaded our long favoured and healthy land-a disease which, when it actually seizes its victim, gives small further warning, whose pangs allow the mind no time to collect itself for thought, and which commonly hurries the soul before its God in the brief one day, and not unfrequently in half the time!

space

of

I again ask, then, my brethren, do our hearts follow the prayers of the Church, when we say that we are under an awful apprehension of God's judgments? Why are his terrors thus displayed before our eyes? Does the just Judge of all the earth strike where there is no sin? We may say, indeed, he afflicts in mercy; this is true: but what is that mercy? Is it not that he may warn men what they deserve, and teach them in time to flee from the wrath to come? "He sheweth them their work and their transgressions that they have exceeded." Even where God strikes in mercy, it is sin that invites the rod. There are no chastisements in heaven-and why? there is no sin there. God is now punishing the nations for their sin. And has he defended us for our virtue's sake? We shall not say so, if we have this day prayed sincerely. In the prayers we say, "We acknowledge it to be of thy goodness alone, that, whilst thou hast visited other nations with pestilence, thou hast so long spared us." What claim has this nation, on its own account, to be exempted from the fate of others? "What nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for? Where is the nation which has such opportunities as ours, where the humblest may read in their own tongue the wonderful works of God? where provision is made for the instruction of every child whose parents will use it-where the word of God has free ✰ Deut. iv. 7.

Luke xvii. 27-29.

Job xxxvi. 9.

course, and is purchasable at the lowest prices,-where every parish has its church and its minister,- and where a spiritual service is offered, and spiritual instruction given, at least every sabbath day? And for these things we take no glory to ourselves, for they are not of our making, but of God's giving: no, if our prayers have been sincere today, "We confess with shame and contrition, that, in the pride and hardness of our hearts, we have shewn ourselves unthankful for his mercies, and followed our own imaginations instead of his holy laws." For where is the nation which has abused opportunities like ours? There can be none-for no nation has ever enjoyed them. And why were these vast favours bestowed on us?-Not surely for our own sakes, who have proved ourselves so undeserving them; but that God's name might be glorified upon earth, and his people might enjoy grace, hope, quiet, and happiness. Yet what is the case? In such a country we might expect to find every one well instructed in the word and will of God, from the least to the greatest. But is it so? Hundreds never learn to read, or try to learn. Hundreds who can read, prefer "the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge," to the book that is able to make them wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.† Hundreds more never open that book, or at least never open it with the intent or hope to benefit their souls. In this country, we might expect to see the churches thronged with devout and thankful worshippers. Is the expectation realized? Hundreds squander the holy day of God in idleness-hundreds profane it by all manner of vice-hundreds think they do enough if they come once to church on the Sabbath, instead of being happy and rejoiced that they have the blessed privilege of two services. And, of those who come at all, how many come to pay "the sacrifice of fools!" how many come to shew their fine apparel, and to gaze at others! how many would never come to church unless they could do what they call "dress well enough," proving thereby that they come not for God's service, but for their own vanity! In such a country as this, we might expect to see the holy table of our Lord diligently and constantly attended. Yet hundreds call themselves Christians, and, nevertheless, remember not Christ's death in the way he has commanded and appointed, go down to the grave, pass into eternity, without ever tasting of his blessed body and blood, although he has himself said, "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you;"§ Hundreds are invited to instruction in this part, and will not accept it-hundreds declare that they cannot "live up to that holy sacrament;" that is, that they cannot "live up" to what is absolutely necessary, unless they would be lost for ever! It might be supposed, that in a country like this, God's holy name would be revered and adored; yet where shall we find a land surpassing our own in profane cursing and swearing? Men are glad to find the flimsiest pretences for doing that which every soul must rejoice to avoid, if he be not a child of the devil! They think it enough if they use not the name of God, when their Saviour

Prov. xix. 27.

+ 2 Tim. iii. 15.

Eccles. v. 1.

§ John vi. 53.

has positively said, "Swear not AT ALL." In a country like this, we might reasonably expect that general morals would be pure. "Light” as we are " in the Lord," it might be expected that we should" walk as children of light," "" and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness."* But is the case such? There is no nation where such works are more common-more usually looked over; there is no country more abounding in the fools who make a mock at sin;t and "it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret." There is no country where that horrible and abominable vice, drunkenness, prevails to a greater extent than in our own; though every man might know, if he pleased, that no drunkard shall inherit the kingdom of God.§ Considering the blessings we possess, we might at first suppose that our land resembled the redeemed Israel, to whom the prophet spoke, "violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls salvation, and thy gates praise." And yet what is the fact? Every man's head seems set against his fellow-plunder, cruelty, ruin, seem the sport and delight of our people. The Ministers of the Church, men whose lives are quiet, whose function is holy,these are the first to be reviled and outraged for their Saviour's namesake. Is this description more than the truth? "Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah." ¶ And can we wonder that the judgments of God hang over us? Is it not much more wonderful that we have so long been spared? "The Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land; by swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood." ** "Shall not I visit for these things?" saith the Lord, "and shall not my soul be avenged of such a nation as this?"+t It is "for all this," my brethren, that "his anger is not turned away; but his hand is stretched out still."‡‡

[ocr errors]

But you may say, truly the country is very wicked, but we find nothing to accuse in ourselves-we are sure, at least, that we are not

+ Prov. xiv. 9.
Isaiah i. 9.

Eph. v. 12.
Hos. iv. 1, 2.

* Eph. v. 8. § 1 Cor. vi. 10. Isaiah Ix. 18. tt Jer. v. 9. Isaiah, passim. In addressing his congregation, the writer confined himself solely to those subjects which could have possible application to themselves. To have dilated further on national vice, might seem rather to have been inviting censoriousness than self-examination and repentance. But, in appearing before the public, it might imply indifference to pass unnoticed the encouragement of Maynooth College,-the attack on the Kildare Society, and on that for discountenancing vice, the profanation of the Sabbath by the higher classes of society,-the public parties,the political councils, the Sunday press, and the general contempt of God's holy day. Nor must we pass unheeded the intense ignorance on Christian and ecclesiastical subjects which prevails amongst even the educated classes;-the avowed design of divorcing mental cultivation from religion, whose handmaid it was hitherto her pride to be; and the consequent rapid extension of infidelity, heresy, schism, and licentiousness. To these we must add the cold-blooded murders for anatomical purposes, which are constantly exciting public indignation; and the equally cold-blooded murders of the duellist's pistol, for revengeful purposes, which are constantly exciting no indignation at all.

as wicked as many others." Alas, my brethren, when God's fiercest judgment awoke against Judah, the people all said, "The temple of the Lord are these."* Perhaps you have never examined your hearts and your lives; you have never brought your thoughts and actions to the light of Scripture; you have never prayed for the teaching of God's Holy Spirit to shew you your ways. If you had done all this, you would not have wanted a deep conviction of your own sinfulness; on the contrary, you would have felt that, whatever others may be, you were fully deserving the judgments of God. But are all here free even from those great violations of Christian duty which I have shortly specified? May the Holy Spirit, whose office it is to convince of sin,t press these matters upon all our hearts, and teach us the sins we have done, and the danger to which we are exposed!

Truly, my brethren, when we speak of "an awful apprehension of God's judgments," we do not mean thereby a mere alarm lest the destructive disease should reach our frames: for many are afraid of disorders and dangers from mere animal instinct, who neither care nor know any thing about the judgments of God. The judgments of God are not merely pestilence, famine, or sword; these are only his ministers to usher men to severer judgments beyond the grave. The disease against which we pray gives no time for thought-it carries the sinner into eternity in a very few hours: and if it carries him thither without repentance and faith,-if he has not humbled himself, and prayed, and turned from his wicked ways, what is to become of him? Has not our Lord said, "Except ye repent, ye shall all perish?" And think what it is to perish everlastingly ;-to be in torment for ever, without the slightest hope, and without the slightest respite or relief, "where the worm dieth not, and where the fire is not quenched!" This is the real danger! This is the only calamity worth the dread of a reasonable creature.

Now if a man think himself no sinner, he will have no apprehension of all this. But what then? will he be any the safer? No! for he might have known his state, and he would not. There is no hope for those who do not repent of their sins, and fly to their Saviour to hide them." He that believeth not shall be damned." He that will not mend his ways, seek to be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, and renounce all trust in himself-he who will not do all this, shall seek in vain to-morrow the pardon he might have had to-day.

O then, my brethren, that our prayers may be heard, and we be not found hypocrites as well as sinners, to our own confusion, let the terror of the Lord convince us of our sins, and drive us to take refuge in Christ, who came to call sinners to repentance. Let us value God's mercies, at least for the time to come; let us shew we value them, by using them. Let us turn from our own imaginations to his holy laws; let us seriously consider how short our time is; let us so number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom; § let every one reform one. Thus indeed may we hope for the blessed promise of the

Jer. vii. 4.
Luke xiii. 3, 5.

VOL. XIV. NO. I.

John xvi. 8. (marg.)

§ Psalm xc. 12, and Second Prayer.

F

« PreviousContinue »