We see this plainly in the history of the Jews. They would not. There was in them a hardness of heart, which refused to be melted. There was an obstinacy which set itself against God, whether he spoke to them in the language of command or of love. He gave them precepts: they disobeyed. He sent them prophets: they quarrelled with the message: perhaps ill-treated the messenger. Alas! how much, how far too much, is this the history of mankind in all ages and countries! They will dispute the word of God. They will often be angry with the minister who explains it faithfully, and arraign him as uncharitable, unjust. But they will not turn their attention inwardly to their own hearts, and ask, Is it not all true?

The complaint of Jesus is, that they would not. Let us consider, what ought they to have done?

The purpose of God's messages had been, that they should cast off the idols which had possession of their hearts, and return to the Lord: acknowledge his government, conform to his will, and live to his glory. Such is the intention of God, wherever he issues his revelation: that men should live TO HIM live to him, as one man is said to live to himself, another to his friends, according as he has his own inclinations, or according as he has the interests of his family, nearest to his heart: so God calls us to live to him: to be dead to sin, and dead to the world, as far as it might withdraw us from that service, and to be alive unto God, and to do all to his glory to "glorify God with our body and our spirit, which are his."

This, then, is the purpose of his word: and the purpose of his warnings is to search us, whether we are living so. His Spirit strives with our hearts, through the medium of what we term conscience; and reminds us that if we forsake him, he will forsake us if we do not listen to him in time, when he tells us to draw nigh to him, there may be a season when we shall call upon him in vain. Behold your house is left unto you desolate! "Seek ye the Lord whilst he may be found; call ye upon him whilst he is near;" lest in the end ye should call, and he will not hear: and ye be as those, "unto whom he sware in his wrath, that they should not enter into his rest."

When warnings like those which Judea had been lately hearing, were sent to Nineveh through the ministry of Jonah, the king and people repented and humbled themselves, and turned from their evil way. The Jewish nation, on the contrary, when our Lord came, found reasons why they should not believe in him. He was of Nazareth : and they pretended that out of Nazareth could no prophet come. He healed their sick: they murmured, because he healed them on the sabbath day. He went into their companies, that he might teach and warn they complained, "this man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them." He did mighty deeds: they affirmed that he was in league with the Evil Spirit. Had he not reason to say, Ye would not? They would not incline their hearts, and bend to conviction.

And in this, as in everything else, the whole stress lies upon the will. Men may be brought

to live to God through different ways: some, by a sense of his mercies; some, by a hope of eternal life; some, by fear of his wrath; some, by the soft whisper of conscience; and others, by the loud thunder of affliction. Though "it is the same Spirit which worketh all in all, yet there are diversities of operations. But whatever may be the mode of operation, the result must be, a WILLING service. Our will must be so wrought upon and turned, that the service of God becomes our own choice, our fixed desire, our resolute purpose. Otherwise, when the first impulse is over, and the feeling evaporated; when the affliction is past, or conscience has done speaking; we shall return to ungodliness, and fall back upon the world. The apostles were gently drawn to Christ, and persuaded of his authority, by hearing his words and observing his miracles. And their WILL became so engaged on his side, that they could not think of abandoning him. They said, "Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life." St. Paul was more strongly urged: he heard the voice of Heaven; he saw the supernatural light; he was struck with blindness. But the end was the same his WILL was changed; and his first question was, "Lord, what wouldest thou have me to do?" I am thine: what wouldest thou have me do?

Such is the difference between those who would, and those who would not. Our Lord concludes with a prophecy, which awfully declares the consequence of impenitence, of hardness of heart, and contempt of God's word. It anticipates "the day of

wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God." 5

:

35. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Such will be the language of all at last, when this world is passed away, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Let it be the feeling of all now, and the sting will be taken from death, and its victory from the grave.

1. And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him.

2. And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy.

3. And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? 4. And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go:

5. And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have

5 Rom. ii. 5.

an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?

6. And they could not answer him again to these things.

It might be a natural question for one brought up under the law of Moses, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? The commandment says, "Six days shalt thou labour, and do all that thou hast to do: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God." If we depart from the letter of this rule, we ought to have a reason for so doing. And Jesus, in this passage, encourages such consideration and inquiry. Your beasts of burthen are in danger on the sabbath. One has fallen into a pit-another has need of food. To preserve these, you relax the obligation of the sabbath: and is it not more important in the eye of God, to relieve one whom he has made in his own image?1

We ought to bring our own conduct to a like test. We do not observe the seventh day according to its literal strictness: "On the seventh day thou shalt do no manner of work, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the stranger that is within thy gates. And how do we justify ourselves in this? Not because we doubt its being as much the will of God, and the command of God, that Christians should keep the seventh day holy, as the Jewish people; but because on the careful consideration of Scripture, we believe that the thing forbidden is not that work which is needful for decency and reasonable comfort, but that which would confound

1 See ch. xiii. 16.