This self-renunciation is, if possible, still more necessary in relation to the concerns of the soul. If we trust at all in our own wisdom, goodness, or strength, God will consider us as abandoning all hope in him. However good the thing may be which we make even a joint ground of confidence before him, instead of contributing to our welfare, it will make the Gospel of no effect to us, and Christ will profit us nothing".]

2. A simple affiance in God

[In the instance before us, the people were not to fight, but to stand still and see the interposition of God for them. But we are not therefore to neglect the proper means of selfpreservation: we must use the means, but not trust in them: God alone must be our trust and our confidence: and we should commit ourselves to him, without doubting either his ability or willingness to help us.

Thus in reference also to our spiritual interests, we should never limit his mercy or his power. His promises should be the ground of our hopes, and the measure of our expecta

Having endeavoured to ascertain the true nature of faith, let us consider,

II. Its influence on our welfare

It has a favourable aspect upon,

1. Our national prosperity

[When a nation is enabled to exercise faith in God, there is good hope that its deliverance is nigh at hand. For faith conciliates his favour: he is honoured by it; and he will surely put honour upon it. Faith engages his protection. He has promised to be a wall of fire round his people, and as a munition of rocks: and, when they plead his promises, he will not fail in the execution of them. Faith also calls forth his aid. He has told us that his eyes run to and fro throughout the whole earth to shew himself strong in the behalf of his people; and he has proved in ten thousand instances how ready and effectual is the succour which he will afford to those who call upon him.]

2. Our personal welfare

[In allusion to the circumstances of the history before us we may observe, that faith will secure us victory over all our enemies. Sin, Satan, death and hell shall all be overcome, if only we believe in Christ: yea, we shall be more than conquerors through him that loved us. Faith also will enrich us with the most abundant spoils. Jehoshaphat and his army were three

b Gal. v. 2, 4.

days occupied in gathering the spoils, so wonderfully were they enriched by the very people who had sought only their destruction. And shall not we find ourselves benefited even by the assaults of our enemies? Yes, we shall have deeper discoveries of the love, the power, the faithfulness of our God, and be more amply furnished for our future conflicts. Faith moreover will bring us to a quiet possession of our inheritance. Jehoshaphat had rest and quiet throughout his realm by means of that exercise of faith. But we shall obtain the undisturbed enjoyment of heaven itself. As soon as faith and patience have had their perfect work, we shall be freed from enemies, and "not a dog shall wag his tongue against us" any more for ever.

Thus prosperous, thus established, shall the weakest be, provided they believe in God, and give implicit credit to his word.]

We would further ADDRESS you on this subject, 1. As members of the community

[The state has a right to expect of you all the aid which you can afford her under the pressure of her present troubles. Will any of you say, 'I am unable to render any effectual assistance?' Pause before thou repliest in such a way. Can you exercise faith in God? Can you commit her affairs to him? Say not then, I can do no good:' for whether thou be old or young, male or female, healthful or infirm, thou canst render the most important services. God will hear thy prayer, and respect thy faith. It was not by the sword, but by the simple exercise of faith, that three confederate armies were totally destroyed. Fight then with the same weapon: entreat your God to direct the counsels of our governors, and to prosper their endeavours; and we shall yet have fresh evidence, that the injunction in our text was never given or obeyed in vain.]

2. As members of the Church

[Far be it from us to express indifference respecting good works. We know you must abound in them; and we desire you should abound in them to the glory of God. But they can proceed from nothing but a living principle of faith; and therefore, from a regard to the interests of morality, we repeat the exhortation in the text. It is not by self-righteous, self-confident exertions that you are to become holy, but by exercising faith in Him, who is our "righteousness and our strength.' Live then by faith on the Son of God; so shall you derive from him all needful supplies of grace, and progressively advance, both in an enjoyment of his presence and a meetness for his glory.]

CCCCXII.

THE DANGER OF FOLLOWING EVIL COUNSEL.

2 Chron. xxii. 3, 4. He walked in the ways of the house of Ahab for his mother was his counsellor to do wickedly. Wherefore he did evil in the sight of the Lord like the house of Ahab for they were his counsellors after the death of his father to his destruction.

THOUGH Jehovah is undoubtedly the Governor of the universe, it is certain that there is a mighty being always exerting himself in opposition to him; and with such great apparent success, as to be justly designated "the god of this world." In the contest that is maintained between them, each has, if I may so speak, his partisans and agents, who, under their respective heads, labour to execute their master's will, and to promote the interest of him to whom they belong. Jehovah employs holy men, whose hearts he has touched with his heavenly grace; and whom he sends forth as his ambassadors, to instruct our fallen race, and to rescue them from the dominion of the great usurper. Satan, on the other hand, has his servants also, whom he employs to deceive mankind, and to rivet on them the chains with which they are already bound. In this, however, he differs from that Almighty Power against whom he is arrayed; that, whereas Jehovah delights to make use of the weakest instruments, and "by things which are not, to bring to nought things that are," Satan is constrained to select the most powerful agents to carry on his cause; well knowing that, without them, he has no hope of effecting any thing. When, in his efforts to rob Job of his integrity, he destroyed all his children, he forbore to destroy the wife of Job, that by her means he might tempt that holy man to "curse God and die." When he would divert the Lord Jesus Christ from his purpose to redeem the world, he employed the Apostle Peter to dissuade him from subjecting himself to the sufferings that were to come upon him. Thus he acted in reference

to the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. Jehoshaphat was a pious king, and served Jehovah faithfully. But Satan wished to reduce Judah, as well as Israel, to idolatry; and, for this end, stirred up Jehoram's wife to tempt him to it, and afterwards to give the same impious counsel to her son Ahaziah; thereby leading both of them "to their destruction."

The history before us will naturally lead me to point out,

I. The influence of evil counsel

Good counsel, alas! has, for the most part, but little effect. We cannot doubt but that Samuel, knowing as he did the bitter consequences which a want of parental authority had entailed on Eli, was careful to instruct his children in the ways of God, and to reprove in them the first appearances of evil. But, notwithstanding all his efforts, his sons turned aside from the paths of judgment, and rendered the very government of Jehovah himself odious in the eyes of all Israel. Nor can we doubt but that Jehoshaphat, though in some respects faulty, strove to maintain the authority of Jehovah in his family. But his sons were more easily led to imitate his errors than his piety. He himself had joined in an alliance with Ahab, and had consented to a marriage of his son with Ahab's daughter, whose counsels weighed both with her husband and her son far more than any advice of his: yea, though God had signally interposed to thwart his efforts, when combined with those of Ahab, his son and grandson courted the same alliance, and brought on themselves, and on all connected with them, the heaviest judgments.

But let us mark this matter more distinctly,

1. In the case before us—

[To what was it that Ahaziah's mother tempted him? It was to idolatry. But can we conceive that the counsel of any one, however dear, should have power to draw a person to idolatry? yea, that it should prevail with a person who had

a 2 Kings xxi. 6.

b 1 Sam. viii. 1---5.

1 Kings xx. 35-37. with xxi. 14, 15. and xxii. 4.

been educated in the knowledge of the one true God? Hear the account given of idolaters by the Prophet Hosea: "My people ask counsel of their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them." Can we conceive it possible that any person who had heard of all the wonders which Jehovah had wrought for his people in Egypt, and in the wilderness, and in Canaan, should ever be seduced to such infatuation as this? Of ignorant savages we may imagine any thing: but of God's own peculiar people, and of him who was at the head of them, the grandson of the pious Jehoshaphat, we cannot believe it! or the apostate must at least have been bereft of reason. Alas! not so: the man has his mother for his counsellor; and her advice is quite sufficient to draw him from the Most High God to the worship of stocks and stones! I say again, if this fact were not attested on the authority of God himself, we could not credit it; we could not conceive it possible that evil counsel should possess such an influence as this.]

2. In our own case

[It is well known how generally the rising generation are counselled by their friends and relatives to follow the world rather than God, and to attend to the concerns of time rather those of eternity. I speak not here respecting any particular doctrines of religion which may be supposed to have an injurious effect, and therefore to be an object of jealousy: but I speak of all serious religion, irrespective of any peculiar doctrine: I speak of the fear of God; of a holy anxiety about the soul; about a diligent preparation for death and judgment. Of these things, speculatively considered, every one professes to approve: yet no sooner does any person begin to experience them in his soul, than his own dearest friends, his mother, his wife, his sister, his "friend that is as his own soul," will begin to caution him against being "righteous over-much," or, in other words, against being righteous at all. If the person reply, But I have a soul; and it will be called into judgment, and be doomed either to heaven or hell, according to the state in which it is found: and should I not prepare for that great account?' the answer will be, 'No; you have no need to fear: only do as others around you, and you have nothing to be afraid of: God will never enter into judgment with persons who live as you have done.' Thus all the most blessed counsels of Jehovah are set at nought— d and poor fallible men will set their word against the word of Jehovah, and will assure those of ultimate impunity, whom God, in the most solemn manner, dooms to everlasting perdition.

d Isai. lv. 1-3. Rev. iii. 18. These should be cited, with a short comment.