honour God, abhor his impiety and presumption, and the devils themselves will make sport of his folly. All good men shun him, or approach him with pity. His own heart is his enemy; and though he may be prosperous on earth-though he may arrive at high station, and receive external homage, though the good may honour his office in his person, or though the wicked and the vile and the interested may flatter and fawn upon him, and thousands may go at his bidding, and slaves tremble at his frown, yet he is indeed vile and worthless. His conscience will speak to his baseness, and there will be times, when the flattery of men will be as gall and wormwood to his own soul, and the humblest servant of God will exalt himself above him, and he will quail before the message of truth and of divine displeasure. Thus it was with the young men Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who nobly replied to the threatening questions of the Babylonish monarch, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known to thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." Thus it was with Belshazzar, whose "countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another," when he saw the hand from God that wrote upon the wall his accusation and his doom. Perhaps by sudden changes and reverses of fortune, by unexpected revolutions, his prosperity is changed into poverty and misery, his honour into disgrace, and his glory and exaltation into humiliation and shame. Many such instances we have seen in our day, short as it hath been, and that in every rank, from kings and emperors, down through all the gradations of human society. True it is, that such revolutions are not always the lot of the wicked alone--sometimes they visit the just-but to the just they are blessings-their happiness and their hopes are not affected by them-they have God as their friend, and, deprived of all else, their portion is only more complete: whereas to the wicked such changes leave him desolate indeed. All in which he gloried is taken away his tormentors-and the vilest of men insult him. And if the wicked should escape all this, and their mountain stand strong till the day of their death, yet then their strength is brought down, like sheep they must be laid in the grave, become the prey of corruption and dissolution-" say to corruption thou art my mother, and to the worm thou art my sister and my brother." While the good are held in everlasting remembrance, "the memoryofthe wicked shall rot"-become a by-word and a reproach the grave will not hide his iniquity and shame, for while the righteous shall rise to everlasting life, the wicked shall rise to shame and everlasting contempt. Brought before the tribunal of Him who searcheth the heart and trieth the reins, the judgment set and the books opened, the records of his heart and the picture of his life shall be unfolded-his true wickedness and meanness exhibited--and he shall be driven from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power, while a universe of spectators join in reprobating his iniquity and baseness. He hath dishonoured God, done despite to the Spirit of grace, and denied the Son of his love, and the Son of God will deny him and say, I never knew thee, thou worker of iniquity, depart from me, thou cursed, thou vile and miserable, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. This sentence being passed, the proudest of mortals who have exalted themselves against God, shall go away into everlasting punishment, and in the magnificent language of the prophet, "hell shall be moved to meet them at their coming," and its miserable inmates derisively ask, art thou become weak as we? art thou become like unto us?" 66 Such, my young friends, if the testimony of reason, conscience, and the unchangeable word of the Most High are to be believed, is the real condition respectively of those that honour God, and those that presume to despise him. Let me intreat you, therefore, not to be deluded by your own passions, nor by a vain world, to follow the path of the destroyer, or to swerve from the service of the living God. Let me intreat you ever to remember that " everlasting decree of heaven"-" Them that honour. me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed." Never," said Richard Baxter, "never did man dishonour God, but it proved the greatest dishonour to himself. any stain cast upon him; but you will not so easily remove the shame and dishonour from yourselves." noble aspirations, the divine contemplations, the magnificent hopes of the servants of God-" hopes that will never make ashamed." behind the chief of men in genius and ardour, counted all things but loss, you are truly honourable; that you have chosen a Among the numerous important topics good and a noble part-that you are far exthat present themselves for consideration, alted above the common herd of worldly as suitable to be addressed to youth-such as and grovelling men-that you are pursuing the importance of early piety, the good that an elevated path, and the end shall be glory the young may do to mankind, their obliga- everlasting: while those who would affect tions to society as its hope and stay, the to despise you, are in reality debased, folshortness of life, the danger of delay, in the lowing the pursuits of a sensual nature, as if formation of irreligious and vicious habits, there were neither a God, nor virtue, nor the displeasure of the Almighty who may an hereafter-saying, like the degraded leave them to themselves or cut them off Epicurean of the lowest degree, “let us eat. in the midst of their days, and such like drink, and be merry, for to-morrow we die" I have preferred the present subject of ad--in other words, emulating the beasts of dress, because I know that the desire of the field. Oh! how unworthy, how unlike the esteem and honour is strong in the breasts of youth, and I have thus pointed out a way in which it may be lawfully and properly directed, and fully gratified. I have preferred this subject, moreover, because I Hold fast then the profession of your know that it is a foolish delusion in the faith. Be not turned aside from your path. minds of many young men, that a life of re- Remember that your temptations are many ligion is ignoble and mean-spirited, and un- and strong, and yourselves weak. Be humworthy of an aspiring, generous, and inde- ble. Rely on the strength of the Redeemer; pendent mind-that there are many shallow seek the guidance of his Spirit, and the wisyoung men in these times, who talk flippantly dom that cometh from above. "Seek wisof freedom of opinion, of liberality of senti- dom from him who giveth to all men liberment, and rights of man, liberty of judging ally and upbraideth not." Beware of and acting, and such like, "neither under-spiritual pride. Let zeal be tempered with standing what they say nor whereof they discretion and modesty. Such a deportment affirm," thinking themselves something, becomes the young, and while fervent in while indeed they are nothing, "promising spirit, serving the Lord, be diligent in themselves liberty, while they are the slaves business, faithful in the relations of life, for of corruption," and pretending to laugh at the nothing so soon discredits religion in the youth who hath sense, and judgment, and eyes of men, as an opposite conduct. courage enough, to submit to the restraints Never let it seem as if you think religion of religion, to walk in its good old paths, will sanctify the neglect of the common duand to "hold fast the form of sound words." ties of life. Act as you may, the gospel What has been said, will enable you to esti-and the conduct of the saints of God will mate their character and their judgment at appear foolishness to them that perish; but their true value, and will teach you, that in if you make your light shine properly before being religious, in devoting yourselves to honour God, to benefit your fellow-men, and to improve yourselves in useful, and especially in saving knowledge, in the knowledge of Christ, for which Paul who was not men, you obey the command of your Saviour, you glorify your Father in heaven, and save your own souls, and, through his grace, secure an eternal reward. Amen. GLASGOW-W. R. M'PHUN, PUBLISHER, 86, TRONGATE, EDWARD KHULL, PRINTER TO THE UNIVERSITY. SCOTTISH PULPIT. No. 80. SATURDAY, 5TH OCTOBER, 1833. SERMON by the Rev. JOHN MUIR, D.D., Glasgow. Price 2d. THE CHARACTER, PRIVILEGE, AND DUTY OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD; A SERMON PREACHED IN ALBION STREET CHAPEL OF EASE, GLASGOW, ON THE EVENING OF FRIDAY, 9ru AUGUST, 1833, 46 By the Rev. JOHN MUIR, D.D., Minister of St. James' Church and Parish, Glasgow. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee."-ISAIAH xii. G. THE words we have read make part of the prophecies of Isaiah. A prophecy properly signifies the foretelling of things to come; and because our text is one of these, we are to expect it, in connexion with the context, to tell us of some things to happen after Isaiah's day. Accordingly, in the beginning of the previous chapter, we find a prophecy of the coming of Christ: "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him," &c. Now this is a prophecy of the coming of Christ, who, in regard to his human nature was indeed to be " 'a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots," for Jesse, the father of David the king, was one of Christ's progenitors. While the 11th chapter contains a prophecy of the coming of Christ, the next chapter is a prophecy of what would happen in the world on the souls of men individually, in consequence of the coming of Christ; and the prophecy runs in these words: "And in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee." Individuals now begin to drop their former language, which was, " O Lord, I fear thee; my flesh trembleth for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy judgments," and, in consequence of the new views they get, they say, "O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortest me." They begin to perceive that though God had just cause to be angry with them, because they were sinners, yet as they are now, by the permission of God, looking unto Christ, the divine anger is turned away from them, and God can now come near to them, and comfort them. Their language, therefore, now is “Behold, God is my salvation;" that is, wonder my soul at this, that God is to become my salvation. The very God whom the individual had offended by sinning against him, is now revealed as the first to make offers of salvation. They say, Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid, for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation." One happy consequence of getting this view of the divine character is, that with joy this people come and "draw water out of the wells of salvation." The means of grace are here called "wells of salvation," to which they now come with joy, whereas before they used to creep to ordinances, or come to them as to a piece of drudgery, and for some low reason. And then in the 4th verse we are told what this people, now enlightened in the knowledge of Christ, say and do among their fellows. They call on them to see God in Scripture light, as revealed in Christ, and reconciled in him. We say generally, however, that this twelfth chapter gives us an account of what would happen in the world on the souls of believers in consequence of the coming of Christ, and the whole comes to be summed up in the language of our text, Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee." In this text there are three things that demand attention. First, the character here given of the people of God, couched in Old Testament language, in that they are called God, through the opposition of irreligious admire the condescension of that great Being men, yet, now that he hath run his course, who needeth not your homage, who is exall acknowledge that his path has been "asalted above all praise, who hath all that is the shining light, that shineth more and glorious, happy, and excellent in his own more unto the perfect day;" and we know incomprehensible being, and yet solicits your not that the breath of party, or of infidel honour, that he may give to you, the worms malice, hath obscured its setting. And of the dust, his honour in return. Can you even when, in this case, party-passions, envy, refuse? Then this great Being who created or ignorance obscure the fair name of the you and offers you happiness, declares on good, the men of a future generation, except the other hand, that if you will not accept when the same causes may happen to be in his terms, if you will not accept eternal honoperation to warp the judgment, usually accord our and glory on the easy condition of to the faithful servants of God their due honouring God, who is so worthy of honour, tribute of respect, and the "memory of the who asks none to serve him for nought, and just is blessed." so bountifully rewards his creatures for yielding what is his own, and justice demands that they should render-the loss shall be yours. "They that despise me shall be lightly esteemed." and men. This I cannot now illustrate at any length. A few things must suffice. While there is nothing that men, espe cially the young, desire so much as honour, there is nothing they so much dread as disgrace and contempt-but this shall infallibly be the portion of all who neglect or despise God. But is it possible, we would ask, to despise God? Can the heart of man be so bold,presumptuous, senseless, and ungrateful? Let his conscience declare, and it will tell that it can. Well might the prophet call heaven and earth to be astonished, and to wonder at such amazing depravity. But let him remember he cannot despise God with impunity. And, my young friends, though we cannot all aspire at the fame which goodness may justly claim from men, when exhibited on the theatre of public life-though we cannot secure the honour of a David, a Paul, a Luther, or a Knox, or a Howard, and such other illustrious benefactors of mankind, yet a still higher honour have all the saints, and exhibited it shall be, on a nobler theatre, when they shall receive the approbation of the God of all, before the assembled universe-before angels The obscurest individual, whose faith is strong, and love to God warm, and devotedness to the Redeemer sincere and active, shall be welcomed by the Judge of all, and rewarded with the incorruptible crown, the crown of righteousness that fadeth not away; declared incomparably more excellent than the loftiest and proudest of the wicked, by the judgment of the Most High, and in the according testimony of all holy creatures. He shall be placed on a throne at the right hand of God. "For," saith the Saviour, "to him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me on my throne, as I also As God himself declares, "that He will overcame, and am set down with my Father honour them that honour Him," so, it is deon his throne." Should we fail of the hon-clared on an authority as sure, that "they our that cometh from men, there is One that that despise Him shall be lightly esteemed." searcheth and judgeth, who marks our path None hath ever hardened himself against with the tenderest interest, and will bring Him and hath prospered. It is impossible forth our judgment as the light, and our that they can in the nature of things. A righteousness as the noon-day;" and though man's life, his glory and his happiness, con a good name is better and more to be desir- sist not in the things which he possesseth, ed than riches, yet should we lose it in the but in righteousness and peace and joy in service of God, and, for the sake of Christ, the Holy Ghost. A man's goodness is his we may esteem it a small matter indeed, to glory. God is the fountain of honour-the be judged of man's judgment, "for whoso- Father of lights, from whom cometh down ever," says the Son of God, the judge of all, every good and every perfect gift, and if he "whosoever shall confess me before men, forsake this fountain, much more if he dehim will I confess before my Father in hea- spise it, he cannot possibly be other than ven." Are you desirous, then, of honour? lightly esteemed. God, whose favour is Seek the honour that cometh from God-life, holds him in contempt. Angels who 66 In the first place, he forfeits the honour of God's servants as we have described it, and incurs God's righteous and eternal displeasure. honour God, abhor his impiety and presumption, and the devils themselves will make sport of his folly. All good men shun him, or approach him with pity. His own heart is his enemy; and though he may be prosperous on earth-though he may arrive at high station, and receive external homage, though the good may honour his office in his person, or though the wicked and the vile and the interested may flatter and fawn upon him, and thousands may go at his bidding, and slaves tremble at his frown, yet he is indeed vile and worthless. His conscience will speak to his baseness, and there will be times, when the flattery of men will be as gall and wormwood to his own soul, and the humblest servant of God will exalt himself above him, and he will quail before the message of truth and of divine displeasure. Thus it was with the young men Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who nobly replied to the threatening questions of the Babylonish monarch, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known to thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." Thus it was with Belshazzar, whose "countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another," when he saw the hand from God that wrote upon the wall his accusation and his doom. Perhaps by sudden changes and reverses of fortune, by unexpected revolutions, his prosperity is changed into poverty and misery, his honour into disgrace, and his glory and exaltation into humiliation and shame. Many such instances we have seen in our day, short as it hath been, and that in every rank, from kings and emperors, down through all the gradations of human society. True it is, that such revolutions are not always the lot of the wicked alone-sometimes they visit the just-but to the just they are blessings their happiness and their hopes are not affected by them-they have God as their friend, and, deprived of all else, their portion is only more complete: whereas to the wicked such changes leave him desolate indeed. All in which he gloried is taken away 66 his tormentors-and the vilest of men insult him. And if the wicked should escape all this, and their mountain stand strong till the day of their death, yet then their strength is brought down, like sheep they must be laid in the grave, become the prey of corruption and dissolution-" say to corruption thou art my mother, and to the worm thou art my sister and my brother." While the good are held in everlasting remembrance, 'the memory of the wicked shall rot"-become a by-word and a reproach-the grave will not hide his iniquity and shame, for while the righteous shall rise to everlasting life, the wicked shall rise to shame and everlasting contempt. Brought before the tribunal of Him who searcheth the heart and trieth the reins, the judgment set and the books opened, the records of his heart and the picture of his life shall be unfolded-his true wickedness and meanness exhibited--and he shall be driven from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power, while a universe of spectators join in reprobating his iniquity and baseness. He hath dishonoured God, done despite to the Spirit of grace, and denied the Son of his love, and the Son of God will deny him and say, I never knew thee, thou worker of iniquity, depart from me, thou cursed, thou vile and miserable, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. This sentence being passed, the proudest of mortals who have exalted themselves against God, shall go away into everlasting punishment, and in the magnificent language of the prophet, "hell shall be moved to meet them at their coming," and its miserable inmates derisively ask, "art thou become weak as we? art thou become like unto us?" Such, my young friends, if the testimony of reason, conscience, and the unchangeable word of the Most High are to be believed, is the real condition respectively of those that honour God, and those that presume to despise him. Let me intreat you, therefore, not to be deluded by your own passions, nor by a vain world, to follow the path of the destroyer, or to swerve from the service of the living God. Let me intreat you ever to remember that everlasting decree of heaven"-"Them that honour. me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed." Never," said Richard Baxter, " never did man dishonour God, but it proved the greatest dishonour to himself. |