DEADNESS AND INDIFFERENCE

Jeremiah v 21. Hear now this O foolish people and without understanding which have eyes and see not, which have ears and hear not.

THESE words were principally addressed to the Jews when they hardened their hearts both to judgment and mercy. But they are equally spoken to all cold, careless, indifferent people in all ages of the world, and they apply to us as a nation and as individuals with special force and power.

There are two things here which demand our attention-1, the description, and 2, the exhortation.

1. THE DESCRIPTION GIVEN OF THE STATE AND CONDITION OF TOO MANY AMONG US.

It is an evil condition of callousness towards Divine things. We may blind our eyes as to our condition. We may boast of the age of enlightenment. We parade our national glory and skill and knowledge. But there stands prominently forward this great BLOT on our escutcheon. The greater part of men and women live and die like blocks of wood or stone, so far as their spiritual nature is concerned. Even of those who feign to take an interest in such things and who do go to church or chapel sometimes, how few there are who do so for anything but form. They never give the subject a thought, see life pass and others come and go, hear the bell toll, but are like senseless bullocks.

This is an awful condition, and there are various reasons for it. Among them we may notice

1.

Want of appreciation. The tendency of the mind is to lull itself into the belief that things will eontinue to go on as they are, and that because there are no visible signs, therefore the end will never come. People do not lay hold of the fact that life is rapidly slipping away.

2. The influence of Satan. He blinds men's eyes and hides the issues which hang over their conduct. His power is great, and in many cases his victims are only too willingly led astray.

3. Deliberate blindness. There is such a thing as shutting the eyes and hardening the heart. Only too many wilfully refuse to hear and see and know.

To all these foolish people there will one day come a fearful awakening. The crash of the eternal trump will startle them to a sense of lost opportunities and coming woe. II. THE INVITATION GIVEN.

'Hear now.'

We may consider these words

1. With regard to the past. Many opportunities have flown away; days, months, years have gone. The calls of mercy, of tenderness, of judgment, have all been unheeded. But if you have rejected all, then reject them no more. Hear

now.

2. With regard to the future. The future is uncertain. You have not an hour to call your own. Hear now the words of warning and accept the message of love. In conclusion,

Those who will, not hear will share the same fate as the Israelites. Years passed away, they still refused the invitation and rejected the warning. And then came the avenging hand of retributive justice. Awful was the punishment meted to their impenitence, fearful the catastrophe in which they were overwhelmed. But more awful still will be the penalty inflicted on the careless, hardened sinrer, now living, as he does, in the full light of gorpel privileges and in the full blaze of gospel truth,

Procrastination is folly, and hardness is madness.

X. X.

THE WHOLE AND THE SICK

Matt. ix. 12. They that be whole need not a physician but they that are sick.

THERE are three characters here spoken of-the whole, the sick and the physician. There is not much difficulty in knowing who is intended thereby.

The two first include all mankind, the last is the Redeemer. Let us dwell upon these three.

I. WHAT IS MEANT BY THE WHOLE? Literally, it means those who are pure and sinless and without disease.

Practically, they that are whole' is the term applied by our Lord to those persons who, puffed up by the conceit of sin, imagined that they were sufficiently righteous in the sight of God without participating in the work of redemption. This definition still remains applicable—

I. To those unconscious of their sin. Some are unconscious through ignorance, some through blindness, some through wilfulness.

2.-To those who imagine that they are able to atone for evil by their own works and deservings. These are the Pharisaical, the self-righteous.

3.-To those who trust to God's forbearance. Some believe that God is too merciful to punish-to be just. II. WHAT IS MEANT BY THE SICK?

Literally, it means those who are prostrated by suffering and disease.

In the case before us it rather applies to those who are conscious of the disease to which they are subject. Some of the most fatal diseases are the most insidious, and the sufferer is most unconscious of their danger. We have here

1.-Those who have been brought to realize the evil of sin. The most part of men see no harm in sin. It is only when they are taught by the Holy Spirit that they can understand its evils.

2. Those who having seen the evil of sin apply the matter to their own conditions and case. Feeling how miserably lost and undone they are, knowing that the end and result of their iniquity is death, they are conscious of their sickness and want of healing.

3. Those who thus knowing their state seek healing from Christ. These are they who need the Physician. These are they who call in his aid and gratefully avail themselves of his assistance and help. They are therefore the people who are sought of Christ, and desire his presence and love.

III. THE PHYSICIAN.

Few words are needed to point out that Christ is intended here. In speaking of Him we may say

I.- -That He is a willing Physician. He requires no pressing to heal the sick, restore the lost and save the sinner.

2.-That He is an able Physician. He can cure. No spiritual disease is too great or too hard for him to overcome. No enemy too strong for Him to cast out. 3.-That He is a ready Physician. Ready always, waiting always, anxious always. He ran to the help of man. Conclusion

1. To the whole. Yours is a dream of falsehood and folly. 'None are righteous, no not one.' Yours is ignorance, for you do not see your condition. Pray, then, for divine truth to purify your hearts.

2. To the sick. Your case is hopeful. There is ⚫ balm in Gilead and a physician there.' Where can you find such a healer as Christ? He can cure the leprosy of sin. He can restore the wounded soul, and bind up the broken heart. You have, then, only to avail yourselves of His power and willingness to save and you shall be made whole,

VOL. IV.

LEADING+SERMON.**

THE SIMPLICITY OF THE GOSPEL

A Sermon preached in St. John's Church, Cardiff, by the EDITOR.

2 Kings v, 13, 14.-' And his servants came near and spake unto him and said. My Father, if the prophet had hid thee do some great thing wouldst thou not have done it? How much rather then, when he saith to thee wash and be clean.

Then went he down and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God, and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child and he was clean.'

2 Cor. xi., 3... The simplicity that is in Christ' THE circumstance referred to in our text is a most interesting and remarkable one. Naaman, a man of high position in the court of Syria, was afflicted with a loathsome disease-a disease which incapacitated him from most of the conveniences of life and nearly all its enjoyment. His physicians-and his position and wealth enabled him to obtain the best and most skilled the world affordedhad been unable to procure for him the least relief. At last, however, one of those little things which come in the dispensations of Providence was the means of informing him how he possibly might be healed. The chance word of a little slave girl informed him of a prophet in Israel, who, by the power of the Almighty, was able to work miracles. Eagerly grasping at anything which perchance might procure him relief, after some preliminaries, which it is not our intention now to touch upon, Naaman went down to Judea to seek out the inan of God. And he went with his chariot and horses, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. And Elisha sent a messenger to him saying, Go wash in Jordan seven times and thy flesh shall be clean. Then Naaman was wroth, and went away and said, Behold, I thought he would come out and call upon his God and heal me. So he turned away in a rage.' But as we read in our text his servants came near and persuaded him to do the prophet's bidding, which having done, his disease was healed.

From this instructive story we propose to draw some of those important lessons which

No. 11.

it was doubtless intended to convey, for it illustrates in a most forcible manner the difficulties which exist in the human mind with regard to accepting God's salvation in God's own way. Naaman was but a type of myriads of human beings. They would rather do some great thing at any cost or price to obtain the healing of their souls than fall in with the simple command of God.

I am aware that there are some who will cavil at the use I make of St. Paul's expression to the Corinthians-that they will affirm that the words mean freedom from guile, unaffectedness, harmlessness. But I believe that to apply the wider sense of the word is legitimate, and that not only is the life of the Christian to be simple, but that the whole scheme of the gospel may and is accurately defined by the words, The simplicity that is in Christ.'

In order to develope the teaching of our subject, the thoughts for us to dwell upon are:

1. THE NATURE OF THE COMMAND WHICH WAS GIVEN TO NAAMAN BY THE PROPHET.

'Go wash in Jordan and be clean.' This remedy was apparently a ridiculously easy one. So simple that it excited the indignation of the mighty man of valour. The river was on his road, he passed over it on his way, and washing was not an unpleasant thing to do in that eastern country. There was, then, nothing unpleasant to be undertaken. No long or arduous journey, no fasting or toil, or self-inflicted penalty. No money to pay or penance exacted. No long course of regimen or weary treatment of surgery. No offering to be presented or penalty to be imposed. The real gist of the command was obedience, simple coincidence with the directions and plan of the Almighty. It was not the fact of washing that was to effect the cure, but the faith which would produce an obedient and teachable disposition.

And from this example we learn the course of action which God requires of us all in his dealings with mankind. He demands implicit, unhesitating compliance with his com

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mands and laws and methods. If we expect to please to Him-to obtain the healing of our souls we must accept this way without doubt, questioning, or argument. There must

be no asking why or wherefore, because his method appears to us strange or unnatural, no hesitation or doubt because the command seems unreasonable or impossible. Ours is to do. Thus it was with Noah when he built the ark, with Abraham when he went to offer Isaac, with Naaman in the case before us, and thus it has been with countless myriads of souls who have sought and found. salvation.

The second step in the development of our subject is:

THAT THIS VERY SIMPLICITY IS MAN'S GREAT STUMBLING BLOCK. It was so in the case of Naaman, He would not have objected to do some great thing. He would willingly have performed any difficult or tedious undertaking which would have entailed terrible inconvenience or expense. But when he heard the apparently paltry command 'Go wash,' he rebelled.

And as with Namaan so with all mankind. They would willingly give all their fortunes for salvation. They will spend day and night in torture and self-inflicted pain that they might win salvation. They will give themselves up to martyrdom and death for the hope of salvation. And yet when they come to the simplicity of obeying God's command they hesitate, hold back and murmur. The fact is that these more difficult things are really easier to the human mind than the most simple spiritual act of faith. We will endeavour to briefly point out the reasons why.

1. There is implanted within us all a sense of merit. We have grown so adapted to the commercial aspect of life that its customs obtrude themselves into even our religious convictions. If we want a thing here, whether it is an estate or the smallest article for our daily wants, we must buy it. There is money wanted, and we cannot get on without. So if we wish to obtain a portion of honour or wealth or respect we must do something worthy of it. An ignorant, sottish fool may in vain expect to obtain the rewards which are held out to those who deserve them. The one great question of the world is What is this or that worth? Position, influence, renown must be earned or they cannot be rightfully possessed.

It is to a certain extent natural that this feeling should be introduced into religion. Everyone feels that salvation is worth some

thing. They want to obtain it, and therefore the thought naturally comes into their mind that they must do something to obtain it. This is the teaching of nature, confirmed by custom and increased by education. This is how it was with Naaman. He felt that his cure was worth something to obtain, and under this idea he was willing and ready to give something in return. He had gone to the Prophet laden with money and gifts, and was fully prepared to pay a fair price for his recovery. So it is with all the world. Knowing the worth of salvation, when the question arises as to how it must be obtained men think that it is necessary to carry their business proclivities into the transaction. The idea instinctively creeps in that something must be done in return for so great a privilege. This feeling is the origin of a vast number of errors. It causes good, earnest men to endeavour to do too much. They try to deserve the reward, so to speak, by in their way being respectable and pious. They increase ceremonies, multiply services, practice various austerities, hoping thereby to prepitiate God. They have the false idea which Naaman had--that God will receive from them some return for the bounties which He bestows. This sentiment is ingrained into human nature far more deeply than we suppose. It is a fatal delusion. Man can do nothing to merit salvation. The king is no more than a beggar in His sight, and those who go to Him must go with empty hands and a consciousness of their little worth, or they will have to learn it like Naaman did. 2

There is implanted in human nature a large amount of pride, and this causes the simplicity of the gospel to become hard. This is a world of rulers. The king rules the nation-the general rules his soldiers-the master his servant-the servant his fag-and the lowest menial in turn rules the brute creation. This engenders a certain sense or consciousness of power and self-importance. So, also, one man has ability or power which another does not possess, or has gifts bestowed upon him which others lack. But, whether a man has just cause or no, he is sure to have in his nature a large amount of pride.

Naaman had pride. He thought that his position would have such influence with the man of God that he would come forth, touch his withered limbs, and with obsequious bows and homage have considered it a favour to heal him, and receive in return a rich present for a reward. And when his vanity was

So

wounded, he went away in a rage. with the world at large. It is a terrible blow to a poor puffed up mortal, who is seeking salvation, to find out that the first step he must take is to crucify his sense of self-importance, arrogance, and bombastic love of ruling. How many turn away in a rage! They would shower their golden guineas on the prophet's threshold for one obsequious mark of homage. They would part with riches, yea, and comfort too, if they might retain in the eyes of the world their position and their honour. But no, they would rather have hell and retain their pride, than heaven without it. It is this idea that Milton credits Satan with when he is made to exclaim in his soliloquyBetter to reign in hell than serve in heaven.' 3. There is one thing more that makes the simplicity of the gospel difficult to the world, and that is HUMAN REASON.

Reason is that critical, restless power of the mind which wants to know and understand everything it comes across. It is manifested from our earliest years. A little child just out of its mother's arms will want to know the why and the wherefore of everything. And the desire increases as we advance in years. It is natural and advantageous that it should do so, or there would be no advance in knowledge or growth in thought. We want to know. the minor nature of things which we come across. Heat, light, electricity, the nature of the earth and the laws of the heavens, all demand our most accurate investigation and require precise explanation.

Now is it any wonder that this principle should be carried into the investigation of religious truth? It is so, and human reason wants a logical definition of what God is.

It wants to know why He did this, and does not do this. It desires to prove the truth of God's word by mathematical and logical reasoning, and to reconcile all the statements of the Bible with what is judged to be science and knowledge. What is the result? The same as it is with other things. If men cannot understand an operation of nature they construct what is called a theory respecting it that is an imaginary explanation, and if all known facts agree and coincide with this theory they conclude that it is true. It is in this way that nearly all the great discoveries in nature have been made. A great philosopher saw an apple fall to the ground. He asked the question why did it do so. He could not tell, it would not do so without a

cause.

So to explain the matter he supposed that it fell because the earth attracted it.

Then he went to seek for other circumstances to prove that his theory was correct.

This is how it is with God's Word. When men do not understand a doctrine or a truth they construct a theory about it, and we often see half-a-dozen theories about one single truth. There is too much of this theorizing in the present day. It exists among all denominations of Christians. There is a growing delight in Systems of Theology,' and so forth, and Christians of even the highest attainments wall themselves with systems of religious philosophy.

Why

Now see how the tendency was manifested in the case of Naaman. See how his human reason exerted itself in him. Why should he go to Jordan to wash? Were there not rivers in his own land, and were they not quite as good as that river? Why might he not wash in them and be clean? should he wash? Why did not the prophet come out and put his hand on the place and heal him at once? Questions such as these filled his mind, and instead of obeying he began to reason. Had he carried out his reasoning he would have been lost. And Naaman was in this only a type of mankind generally. We are told that the only way of salvation is by faith in Christ. In how my does the restless energy of reason immediately begin to assert itself, and men begin to say, What an extraordinary method, I surely thought the man of God would have come and touched me and I should have been whɔle. Is it not more reasonable that I should purchase salvation by doing something to deserve it? Is it not more reasonable that I should worship with a gorgeous ritual and in splendid buildings, than in the simplicity of humility? Is it not more reas mable that the great God who listens to the songs of adoring angels should rather hear His praise sung with all the refinements of art thin with the poor broken voice of a contrite heart'? Hence a system of religion which teaches that the Almighty should be approached only in majesty of ritual and through a sanctified priesthood, is more reasonable than that every poor undone sinner should find access to His immediate presence. Alas! how many are wrecked upon this fatal rock. They judge God's plans by their own light, and exalt reason into the place of faith. Religion is obedience, not argument. Argument might have proved to Naaman that Abana and Parfar were far better rivers than Jordan, but this fact would never have cured Naaman's leprosy.

My dear friends, the subject has an important and vital interest for ourselves. As we have before implied, we all like Naaman are diseased, diseased with the leprosy of sin. It is a disease which nothing human can cure, and which must consume even spiritual life itself. Are there any who feel the burden of their disease and long to have the leprosy cured and to be free from the stain and guilt of sin? To such I would address the same words as were addressed by Elisha to Naaman-Go WASH-wash in the fountain opened for sin and uncleanness which can cleanse all guilt away, that river of righteousness, the source of all purity and life. Wash and be clean, clean from every trace of disease, clean from the laothsomeness of its pollution, clean from the bitterness of its curse, clean from the effects of the fall, clean from the taint of the unholy one, yea, clean as the wool which has been purified, and white as the unsullied snow, clean as the angels in heaven, so clean that even the justice of God can find neither spot or flaw.

This is the command of God. It is no use to reason and enquire whether ways of your own devising would not be better. And this command is simplicity itself. But do not be led away by this simplicity that is in Christ. A road may be very straight but very hard to walk, a path may be very broad but very rough. Thousands have been shipwrecked through it as Naaman almost was They want some plan more in accordance with their own idea of what is right, and hence to overcome their prejudices and notions is harder than encountering an army. Let us bend our finite will to the power of Him who is infinite. Let us obey His command who is all wisdom and knowledge. Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,' So shall we go on our way like Naaman, in joy, and rejoice in the fulness of salvation, the free gift of God. Amen.

THE FORCE WHICH PUNCTUATION GIVES.-In an article which recently appeared in a juvenile journal, we read the following: Of them, all but one returned to glorify God.' This conflicts singularly with the Scripture account of the way the ten lepers treated the hand that had so mercifully healed their odious and terrible disease. Would this were the true statement-but alas! the point must be removed one word further on; we must read Of them all, but one returned to glorify God.' What a change of meaning the position of a single comma makes!

Sketches from the Sunday Morning Lessons.

SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT. DECEMBER 5TH.

THE UNFRUITFUL VINEYARD
Isaiah v.

THESE words form part of one of the Old Testament parables. These parables are not numerous, and were chiefly drawn from inanimate nature, and in some cases partake more of the character of fables than parables.

The Jewish nation in the present instance is likened to a vineyard-a vineyard which had been cultivated with anxiety and care, which had had every provision made for its well-being, and therefore ought in the natural course of things to have been fruitful and profitable.

But the expectation was disappointed. This valued and much cared-for possession brought forth fruit indeed, but fruit no better than that which grew wild upon the hedges. The vines brought forth sour grapes.

Thus the perverse and obstinate Jews, notwithstanding all the mercies they received, all the care they experienced, turned out no better than the uncultivated barbarians, the heathen and the apostate.

The lesson applies to us as a nation and a Church. Many are the mercies and judgments we have experienced. Have we acted up to the advantages we possess, and do we bring forth fruit worthy of our position and calling?

To bring the subject home, notice :I-GOD'S ANXIETY FOR THE PEOPLE'S WELFARE.

This is represented by three figures.

1. Cultivation. He prepared the soil, manured the ground, planted the vines. Carried out in the choice of Abraham, the selection of Canaan. Carried out in our case by the circumstances in which we are placed, the religious influences and the privileges we enjoy.

2. Protection. Hedged around. The Jews by laws, ordinances, and ritual. Ourselves by the bounds of the true Church.

3. reservation. Watched, tended, guarded. He that tended Israel and watches over His Church slumbers not nor sleeps.

II.-GOD'S DISAPPOINTMENT AT HIS PEOPLE'S HARDNESS.

Three things suggested here

1. Labour lost. Few things are more painful to contemplate than time and energy bestowed on an unprofitable or useless labour, and one which turns out of no avail or advantage. How sad to see the Jews, the chosen seed of Abraham, at last come to crucify the Lord.

2. Mercies abused. We can bear with patience the ill-nature of those who have been strangers to us or with whom we have nothing to do, but to have love returned with treachery, kindness