II. WEIGH The Motives hERE SET BEFORE US. The first is 1. The universal Christian sentiment, that "they are happy who endure."-" We count them" so, saith St. James. The World does not: it counts them fools, and miserable madmen, for preferring "the reproach of Christ" to earthly gratification. The Sufferer often counts himself not happy; for it were absurd to imagine, that any affliction is in itself "joyous," and not "grievous." Still, with the exception of these two judges, (the one incompetent, and the other not impartial,) all others will agree with Solomon, that "it is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting;" or with Him who is greater than Solomon-" Blessed are they that mourn;""blessed even are they, which are persecuted for righteousness' sake." 3-Here observe, however, that it is not the mere suffering of affliction, but the patient endurance of it, which constitutes the happy man. Rebellious murmuring makes the load heavier meek submission conquers all. Even the sufferer himself confesses, on looking back, that "it is good for him to have been afflicted."4-Now the agreement of all the followers of Christ in this sentiment, is surely a powerful argument for patience under affliction. : 2. The history of God's End in the afflictions of his people is another. This consideration is drawn from the story of Job's sufferings: "Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord."The end aimed at was the manifestation of Job's religious sincerity, which had been falsely accused by Satan. God had also a further end in view, when he permitted Satan to inflict those sufferings; namely, to 1 Heb. xi. 26. 2 Eccles. vii. 2. 3 Matt. v. 4. 10. 4 Ps. cxix. 71. increase Job's humility-thus rendering him capable of receiving more and greater spiritual blessings. The end granted was, not only the accomplishment of these gracious purposes, but the removal of the trial, and the restoration of comfort, peace, and joy.—And thus in every faithful servant of the Lord, affliction is the trial of faith, the discipline of a Father, the earnest of promotion; "afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness, unto them which are exercised thereby." And should not this consideration produce patience?—We have a third motive in 1 3. The compassionate character of God-" The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy." How well was this known, by those who had seen him in the flesh, repaying with blessings every indignity which he received from man, and mourning over the approaching ruin of guilty Jerusalem herself! How is it confirmed to us, by the love which was displayed on Mount Calvary! He who manifested these bowels of mercy, was and is "the Lord;" almighty to prevent affliction, if desirable; all-gracious to moderate it; all-wise to direct it to the profitable issue. 992 Under such guidance, the end to which he is leading you cannot fail of being accomplished; and the prophets themselves may teach you to expect that accomplishment, at an earlier period than unbelief is apt to suggest. "After two days will He revive us: "weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning :" 3 "our light affliction is but for a moment."4 Nay, hear the Lord himself--" For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee :"5"hide thyself for a little moment," and "the indignation will be overpast." 6 1 Hebrews xii. 11. 4 2 Cor. iv. 17. 2 Hosea vi. 2. 3 Psalm xxx. 5. SERMON XLVI. HEBREWS xi. 13.-These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. You have here, in few words, the Pilgrim's Progress' from the wilderness of this world to an everlasting" city of habitation." You learn what it is which induces him to commence the journey; in what manner he complies with that inducement; what sustains his hope as he proceeds; and in what state of mind he finishes his course. Here is, in short, the whole Life and Triumph of Faith :' and it will be our own fault, if, after meditating on these words, we be not stirred up to become "followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises." -Many individual specimens of the faithful Pilgrim are referred to in this chapter; the Apostle having prepared us, by this declaration in my text, for a right understanding of his character. The nature and operation of Christian faith, therefore, is the subject now before us. May we all be disposed, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to give it the attention which it demands ! True Faith includes five things: 1 Heb. vi. 12. I. A SIGHT OF DISTANT, PROMISED BLESSINGS. Not that the believer is left destitute of comforts and privileges connected with the present life. Truethe world is regarded by him principally as a state of trial and discipline: yet such are even his present gains, that he would not exchange them for the richest treasure of the ungodly. Nevertheless, his greatest prize is yet to come: he "sees" it indeed, but he has not yet received it—it is “afar off.”—Such were the blessings seen at a distance by that "father of the faithful," Abraham: the possession of Canaan by his posterity, though he himself had not a foot's-length of freehold there; the countless number of his descendants, when as yet (at a hundred years old) he had no child; and among them, that one 66 Seed," in whom "all the families of the earth should be blessed "1_ even Jesus the Saviour. All these he saw, but only in the form of promises. The things themselves were very "far off," and were made visible to him solely by the word of God.-But to Abraham, and to us also, blessings more remote still are (by the same Divine promise) held up to view: the salvation of the soul-the resurrection of the body-the life of glorythe sight and enjoyment of "God and the Lamb;" all these are freely and fully offered by the Gospel, to every one who will accept them on God's terms. It is acknowledged that they are distant blessings: but God's promise calls our attention to them; and the knowledge that such a promise exists is the first step towards a true faith.-It includes, secondly, II. A PERSUASION OF THEIR REALITY. The world is so notoriously full of promises and hopes, issuing in disappointment, that it might still be 1. Gen. xii. 1-3. doubted whether the blessings of which I have spoken had any real existence. In point of fact, many do treat the whole Christian system as a fable; and, in saying this, I refer not to avowed Infidels alone, but to a large proportion of nominal Christians. Their habitual feeling is, that the promises of the gospel are not fully to be trusted-that they will not bear them out, if acted upon-or at least, that they are exaggerated. And (what seems very strange) you cannot get them to make any serious examination into the truth of the case, or to abide by the truth so far as it may be discovered. Now what is such a state of mind, but secret Atheism? But the happy few, in whom true faith is found, have a full, satisfactory, abiding persuasion, that there are such future blessings, as the promises make known. I will not deny, that an occasional hesitation of mind may be suggested by the great enemy; but the habitual belief to which they continually return is this: 'God has spoken-has spoken by his Son Jesus-has spoken to me, as to one who must assuredly witness the fulfilment, whether of his promise to them that believe, or of his wrath against them that believe not. God is true-God is able to keep his word-he must, he will; and therefore, after all the mockery of an ungodly world, I come to the deliberate conviction, that "Verily there is a reward for the righteous; verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth."'-Have you this full persuasion, brethren? this essential ingredient in a genuine faith? A promise to be believed is set before you; have you anything like this conviction of its reality? But alas, you may have attained thus far, (for thus far" the devils also believe,") and yet be no Christian pilgrim. His faith in the promises includes, thirdly, 1 Psalm lviii. 11. |