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that we shall be "cleansed from all unrighteousness," and "be renewed after the image of our God in righteousness and true holiness:" and God proposes himself to us as our pattern, that we should "be holy, as he is holy," and "be perfect, even as our Father which is in heaven is perfect." However short of these things the Christian falls in point of practice, he desires, if it were possible, to fulfil all that is required of him, and to attain "the full measure of the stature of Christ himself." In a word, he realizes in his experience the prayer of Epaphras, and "labours fervently and incessantly to stand perfect and complete in all the will of God."]

Whoever possesses such piety in his heart, shall assuredly be honoured with,

II. God's approbation and acceptance of it—

Without the heart, no services that we can render to the Lord are pleasing to him—

[God says to every one of us, "My son, give me thy heart: " and, if we withhold that, he regards nothing else that we can give him: our very prayers and our praises are only an abomination to him 8 . -]

But, where the heart is, even the smallest services are pleasing in his sight

[God judges not of our services by their magnitude in the eyes of men, but by the measure of love and zeal with which they are performed. The widow's mite was on this account considered as “ more than all the offerings of the rich : in itself, it was nothing; but, as indicating the state of her mind, it was above all price. And it is worthy of observation, that the most encouraging promises in Scripture are given to such expressions of our feelings as most indicate the sincerity of our hearts. A sigh, a groan, a look, a wish, a silent tear stealing down the cheek, are amongst the most acceptable offerings that we can present to Godh. And when his Holy Spirit operates most powerfully upon our hearts, it is "with groanings which cannot be uttered." If he looked at the outward services merely, the poor would labour under the greatest disadvantages: but we are assured, that he forms no such partial estimate of men's conduct; but that, "if there be first a willing mind, he accepts us according to what we have, and not according to what we have not *;" so that, provided our exertions be proportioned e Eph. iv. 13. f Col. iv. 12.

8 Matt. xv. 7-9. Isai. i. 11, 13. Amos v. 21-23.

h Ps. lxxix. 11. and xxxviii. 9. and xxxiv. 5. and x. 17. and cxlv. 19. and lvi. 8.

i Rom. viii. 23, 26.

k 2 Cor. viii. 12.

to our ability, the poorest and weakest amongst us shall be approved and rewarded equally with those whose abilities and opportunities have been most enlarged: yea, if through the good providence of God we be incapacitated for any service whatever, yet, if we desire to serve God, he will bear testimony to us before all, saying, “Thou hast done well, in that it was in thine heart to serve me."]

APPLICATION

That we may obtain such a testimony from the Lord,

1. Let the advancement of the Church be dear unto us

[There is a temple which we are called to build, and of which the temple of Solomon was but a type and shadow; I mean, the Church of Christ, which to all eternity shall be "the habitation of God through the Spirit'." For the advancement of that, we should long, and pray, and strive; and never cease from our exertions, till God himself "shall bring forth the head-stone, and the whole universe shall shout, Grace, grace unto itm ! "] "

2. Let us, in all that we do, be particularly attentive to our own hearts

[Many sinister motives are apt to arise, and to pollute our best actions: our liberality is apt to savour of ostentation, and our spiritual affections of pride and vanity. But God, "to whom all things are naked and open," will judge according to what he sees in the inmost recesses of the heart; approving of the good that was there, though never carried into effect; and disapproving of our latent hypocrisy, by whatever specious appearances it had been concealed from mortal eyes. Only take care that the heart be right with God, and then all will be well with us, both in time and eternity.]

3. Let us be contented with doing what we can for God, though we should not succeed according to our wishes

[If our labours be crowned with present success, we receive, as it were, a present recompence: but if our labour appear to be in vain, we may expect a suitable recompence hereafter. God will reward us, not according to our success,

1 Eph. ii. 20-22. 1 Pet. ii. 4, 5.

m Zech. iv. 7.

n If this were a Mission Sermon, or for building a Church, here would be the proper place to press the subject.

but according to our labour. The very consciousness of endeavouring to honour God is itself an ample reward for all that we can do. Whether we ourselves reap, or leave others to enter into our labours, we should be equally well pleased to serve our God. Let this thought animate us all in our respective stations; and whether our abilities be more or less, let us all endeavour to obtain this testimony from the Lord, "He hath done what he could"."]

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CONDESCENSION OF GOD IN BECOMING INCARNATE.

2 Chron. vi. 18. Will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth?

IT is nothing but a want of reflection, that keeps us from being filled with incessant wonder and astonishment. The things which God has done for us in the works of creation and providence, if duly searched out, would furnish abundant matter for our profoundest adoration. But the provision which he has made for our redemption exceeds all the bounds of credibility. Even those manifestations of his mercy whereby he shadowed forth the mystery of his incarnation, were so stupendous, that Solomon, who beheld them, could scarcely believe his own eyes. He had erected a temple which was to be a type of Christ's human body. He had just seen God coming down in a cloud to take possession of that temple, and filling it with his glory. He was in the act of dedicating it to God, and of praying that it might be, as it were, an habitation for him: but struck with astonishment at the requests which he was presuming to offer, he pauses, and breaks forth into this hesitating, admiring, adoring exclamation, "But will God-in very deed-dwell-with men— on the earth?" This was an inconceivable act of condescension as it respected his symbolic presence in a temple of stone; but it was infinitely more so, as it respected his real presence in a body of flesh. To illustrate this we shall,

I. Contrast the characters of God and man

We can be at no loss for matter to illustrate this subject, since light and darkness, or Christ and Belial, are not more opposite. But that we may not exceed the limits proper for this part of our discourse, we shall draw the contrast in two particulars only:

1. The majesty of God, and the meanness of

man

[We have no higher ideas of majesty than those which are conveyed under the terms appropriate to royalty. God therefore, in order to suit himself to our feeble apprehensions, adopts those terms in reference to himself. He assumes the title of a king; he is "King of kings, and Lord of lords." He has moreover all the ensigns of royalty; "heaven is his throne, and earth his footstool." Unnumbered hosts of angels are his retinue; "thousands of thousands minister unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stand before him"." Instead of the equipage of an earthly monarch, he "maketh the clouds his chariot, and rideth on the heavens as upon a horse." So great is his majesty, that "all the nations of the earth are before him only "as the drop of a bucket, or as the small dust upon the balance;" yea," they are less than nothing and vanity." And so "terrible is his majesty," that, "if he touch the mountains, they smoke; and, if he but look upon the earth, it trembles." But in attempting to speak of his majesty, we only "darken counsel by words without knowledge." Suffice it therefore to add, that "the heaven of heavens cannot contain him;" and that "his greatness is unsearchable "."

If we

But what is man? an atom insect of an atom world. compare him with the globe on which we stand, he is a mere worm: but if we compare him with the visible creation; and still more, if we view the universe with the eye of a philosopher, if we compute the distances of the fixed stars, if we suppose that multitudes of them are, like our sun, the centre of different and independent systems; if we then compare him with these, what an insignificant being will he appear! The smallest grain of sand is not so diminutive in comparison of the whole terrestrial globe, as the whole human race would be when compared with the other works of God's hands. But unworthy as man is of God's notice in this view, he has

a Rev. xvii. 14.

d Ps. civ. 3. and lxviii. 4. f Ps. civ. 32.

b Isai. lxvi. 1.

g ver. 18.

c Dan. vii. 10.
e Isai. xl. 15, 17.
h Ps. cxlv. 3.

rendered himself incomparably more unworthy by the commission of sin. By this he is become, not merely worthless, but odious and abominable. In this respect the whole human race are involved in one common lot: and so contemptible are they in his eyes, that there is scarce an animal among the brute creation to whom he does not liken them, and that too in reference to their most hateful qualities: from whence we may understand, that man is a compound of every thing that is noxious and hateful.

And can we conceive, that so great and glorious a Being as God should ever deign to notice man; and not only to notice him, but to dwell with him?]

2. The purity of God, and the sinfulness of man—

[Holiness is that attribute of the Deity which is most eminently glorified by the heavenly choir: they cry day and night, saying, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts!" On earth too this perfection is peculiarly admired by the saints, who " give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness." Such was God's abhorrence of iniquity, that he cast the fallen angels out of heaven. Nor can he behold sin in man, without feeling the utmost indignation against it'. But why do we mention these things? Such is the holiness of God, that "he chargeth even his angels with follym;" and "the very heavens are not clean in his sight"."

As for man, he is, unhappily, a perfect contrast to God in these respects. He is polluted in every member of his body, and in every faculty of his soul. The inspired writers seem to have laboured, as it were, to mark the extreme depravity of man, by specifying that his members are altogether instruments of unrighteousness: his "eyes are full of adultery"," and his " ears deaf as an adder9;" his "mouth and lips full of cursing and bitterness";" his "tongue is a world of iniquity, set on fire of hells," and "his throat an open sepulchret;" "both his hands are employed to work iniquity";" his "feet are swift to shed blood;" and, to complete the whole, "his inward parts are very wickedness"." His soul is, if possible, yet more depraved: his understanding is blinded, so that it puts evil for good, and darkness for light"." His will is rebellious, so that it cannot bow to the commands of God. His affections are earthly and sensual. His memory is retentive

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