REMARKS EXPOSITORY OF TEXTS OF SCRIPTURE.

I.

“Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it suficeth us.”—John xiv. 8.

How very foolish, though very natural, was the desire expressed by Philip "Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us!" "Shew US THE FATHER !" give us some visible manifestation of the invisible God. He evidently sought some wonderful impression on his corporeal organs; some discovery, of which his senses might take cognizance. Yet is it imaginable, that there should be any colourfigure, &c. or any combination of figures-colours, &c. of which it could be asserted without profaneness-that is God?' And even if we should for a moment admit a supposition so monstrous, what benefit could a creature and a sinner derive from any such discovery of God? Of what imaginable use or service could it be?

But the absurdity of Philip's request-" Shew us the Father"-is still more strikingly marked by the consideration, that at the very moment he expressed it-he had before his eyes a manifestation of "the only true GOD," the most wonderful, the most indubitable, and the most sufficient to communicate blessedness everlasting and complete to every man discerning it. And of this the Lord's reply reminded him. "Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, shew us the Father?"

Greatly should we mistake, if we considered this discernment of the Lord Jesus as importing the sight of him with the natural eye. This would be but to "know Christ after the flesh." No; it imports that discernment of the glory of God in him, which we are given in believing the words of Christ;-that sight of him which is possessed at this day as really and efficiently by all who believe the divine testimony concerning him, as it could be enjoyed of old by any who ate and drank in his presence.

"No man hath seen God at any time: the only begotten Son, which is the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him." John 1, 18. Sent into the world by the Father to save sinners, by giving himself a ransom for them, he has discovered to us "the only true God," in a character which we could not naturally have conceived, and which it is now life eternal to know, as at once the just God and the justifier of the ungodly; has discovered him in the combined glory of perfect righteousness and holiness and truth, harmonizing with mercy higher than the heavens,-mercy abounding above all our abounding

need of it,-mercy brought home to those who never could have advanced themselves to reach it,-mercy made sure to every one that believes the divine report, by its being established in him with whom the covenant standeth fast for ever, in Him who "is the head of his body the Church." Ps. lxxxix. 28. Is. lv. 3.

He has loved that Church, and given himself for it: and while we view this his love that passeth knowledge, we view the love of God; in the Son we behold the glory of the Father, kind indeed to the evil and the unthankful,-blessing apostate creatures and rebellious haters of him, blessing them effectively, eternally;-providing of his goodness, Ps. lxviii. 10.-his inexhaustible goodness-for the poor, for those who have nothing to render unto him—nothing but those sacrifices of praise with which He richly and continually furnishes them; while, left to themselves at any time, they would requite him with nothing but base ingratitude and evil.

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Yes it is very blessed to remember that, in viewing the mercy and compassion of the good Shepherd, we see exhibited in him the mind of the Father; that in hearkening to the good words and comfortable in which the Lord Jesus speaks to the guilty and the vile, testifying that he came to call such, and not the righteous; to seek and to save that which was lost, and that he will in no wise cast out any that come to him,-no, " in no wise," not on account of any extremity of unworthiness ;-it is very blessed (I say) to remember that, in hearkening to these his gracious words, we have a declaration of the mind of the invisible God," of his Father and our Father, of his God and our God;" to remember that saying which he spoke-"I and the Father are one." We there indeed come unto God by him. Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We have that discovery of the divine glory, of which we may say in the language of Philip-" it sufficeth us." This wisdom cometh from above and as the heavens are high above the earth, so superior is it-both in its origin and its effects-to all the systematic theories, whether orthodox or heterodox, which are taught in worldly schools of human theology.

I have intimated above that, so far as we are left to ourselves at any time, even to the last, we never fail to render to the LORD evil in return for all his goodness. It is a heavy charge against us, of the truth of which none but the children of God are convinced: and it is important indeed, brethren, that we should be so convinced of it, as to see in this an evidence of the unchanged and unchangeable ungodliness of our own hearts; that we may "have the sentence of death in ourselves" at all times, and may not trust in ourselves, but be kept, "looking for the MERCY of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." Jude 21. Some, who talk speciously about the Gospel, as glad tidings from heaven to the chief of sinners, are yet much shocked at the idea that it brings any glad tidings to sinners as such. They would allow that it speaks to believers good words and comfortable, as to those who were ungodly creatures: but they conceive that this is no longer their own character. And they cannot comprehend how we can be walking in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Ghost," while at the same time our own hearts

are as utterly ungodly as they ever were in the days of our unbelief. It may perhaps be for the profit of disciples themselves, that we should consider this abasing truth a little more closely.

Where lay the root of our natural ungodliness? In our natural atheism; in our alienation from the life of God, "through the ignorance that was in us, because of the blindness of our hearts." Eph. iv. 18.-Many, no doubt, suppose that the vitiosity of our nature consists mainly in our immoral propensities; and many of the graver sort conceive that it lies in our want of heart religion and piety. But let us remember, brethren, that among unbelieving men, or those who yet remain in their natural state, there are several distinguished for what is called morality, amiable in their tempers, correct in their outward conduct, beneficial and useful members of society in their lives. And as to religion-many avowed haters of God and of his Christ-open blasphemers of the truth revealed from heaven, abound in religion, in heart religion; and in their profession evince as much fervour, earnestness, and zeal, as any real Christian can in his. In all their unbelief and antipathy to " the Gospel of the glory of God," such false professors exemplify the principle that the carnal mind is enmity against God: and in this they but manifest the common character of our own hearts, our own flesh. They exemplify our own contrariety to the only true God and to the revelation of his distinguishing glory in the Gospel of his Son,-our own blindness to that light,-our own indisposition to admit it,-our own continued promptitude to turn from it.

When He who knows what is in man, and who knows us from the beginning (Is. xlviii. 3—8.) pronounced this word—“my people are bent to backsliding from me," it is plain that He pronounces their continual character, after they have been turned and brought near to Him. And may not this remind us of that divine aphorism laid down by the Apostle in 1 Cor. xii. 3. ? No man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost." It is plain that the Apostle intends not hereby the mere utterance of these words, with the lips, but the owning of the truth imported by them from the heart,-that belief of the testimony concerning Jesus, which includes the understanding of it in its real meaning and the conviction of its divine certainty.

This is indeed "the work of God, that we believe on him whom he hath sent." And every believer knows that, had it been left to himself to his own will or wisdom-whether he should believe the Gospel or not, he would be to this hour rejecting and opposing it, and-under some form or another of false profession-would be turning the truth of God into a lie. But blessed be the God of all grace, his arrows are sharp in the heart of the King's enemies, whereby the people are subdued unto him. (Ps. xlv. 5.) For wherefore is it, that none but He who spoke the world into existence,who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, wherefore is it that nothing short of HIS power can convince a sinner that Jesus is the Lord? that no man can own this truth but by the Holy Ghost? It is on account of the natural contrariety of the human mind-in all its principles and workings-to the glory of the only

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true God. It is therefore only a new creation that can bring us out of darkness into light, by discovering to us that glory as revealed in Christ and this is a discovery that brings the chief of sinners to the footstool of the mercy-seat, in peace and thankfulness and joy. (Ps. xix. 7, 8.) That word-" the natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him,-neither can he know them," is a word which may well beat down the pride of human wisdom in the things of God.

But it is not alone in the first discernment of the truth, but in its continued indwelling, that this principle holds good,-" no man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost." And there are many, who professedly acknowledge the principle as applied to a sinner's original conversion, but are manifestly unacquainted with it in its application to his continued walk and standing in the faith :— many who seem to regard the faith of the Gospel as a kind of deposit put into our keeping; no otherwise than they look to the use and improvement we make of it as that, upon which the ultimate result must turn. And it is no wonder, that the father of lies furnishes them with one and another text of Scripture, which they hope countenances the proud delusion that they love. But let us remember, brethren, that it is not more true that "no man hath quickened his own soul," or brought himself into the life into which the sinner enters in believing on the Son of God, than it is true that the same Lord alone is he "who holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved." (Ps. lxvi. 9.) "He that keepeth Israel is He that made him" (Ps. cxxi. 3-5. c. 3.); and He keeps the feet of his saints, by "fulfilling in them that work of faith with power" (2 Thess. i. 2.) which is his from first to last, the one work of his Spirit in them, to which all their own hearts are from first to last opposed.

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These views discover us to be continually dependent upon mere mercy;-as dependent at the last hour of our course as at the first. And to the natural mind this would appear very discouraging, and inconsistent with all "confidence and rejoicing of hope." Naturally men have no idea of hope, that is not ultimately founded in themselves and to be absolutely destitute of all such hope, they conceive must of necessity be connected with absolute despair. Yet it is really to creatures so utterly destitute of righteousness and strength, -so totally and continually evil,-that the living God has revealed himself in the Gospel as the "God of hope"-of that hope with which he fills them in believing the testimony of his word. . They that know his Name (or revealed character) will put their trust in Him:" (Ps. ix. 10.) and blessed are they; for they "dwell in a peaceable habitation, in a sure dwelling, in a quiet resting place." (Is. xxxii. 18.) We indeed can no more at this hour " say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost," than we could have done so at the first. But "the mercies of David"-of the beloved-are revealed as "sure mercies." (Is. lv.) And this is one of the exceeding great and precious promises" in that covenant of JEHOVAH which standeth fast with Him" (Ps. lxxxix. 2, 3, 28.); "my spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy

mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith JEHOVAH, from henceforth and for ever." (Is. lix. 21.)

Now having maintained, that so far as a believer is at any time left to himself and to his own spirit-he brings forth no fruit but what is evil; it may perhaps be well to add one more remark, though it ought to be unnecessary. Let me not, then, be understood as asserting that, in such a case, he will of course turn to the indulgence of the flesh in the grossest forms of its lustings: although, in the view of the grossest of them, no Christian is warranted to say " am I a dog, that I should do this thing?" But even in the period of his acknowledged unbelief he may not have been addicted to these and really from these either the animal constitution, or age, or worldly prudence, may be sufficient to restrain. But what I assert is, that-so far as we are left to ourselves at any time-we really forget God our Saviour, and like a broken bow start aside from him, and from the blessed hope in his revealed mercy, to some of those various forms of self, which are so many idols that we naturally serve. Self is the great ruling principle of our fallen nature; selfseeking, self-confidence, our own glory, our own wisdom, our own righteousness; self in one or another of the diversified forms it assumes. And to some of these, disguised perhaps under a specious form of very evangelical language-yea, of contention for the truth, we should at any time turn, unless the spirit of truth keep the words of truth in our remembrance, and thus the revealed glory of the only true God before our view.

We are sure that this his glory is not before the view of those, who are manifestly walking in the indulgence of their fleshly lusts, and therefore in a mind contrary to "the fear of the Lord." But let none of us deceive ourselves by inferring, that we must of course be holding fast the faith, because we are not walking in such fleshly indulgences, and talk a very correct language about the Gospel. It is perfectly consistent with all this to be at the same time going on in a course quite aside from the truth; neither working righteousness, nor loving mercy, nor walking humbly with our God.

The history recorded concerning good King Hezekiah, in 2 Chron. xxxii. 24, 25, 31, 32, may stand as an illustration of what I have said. Few among the kings of Judah are described as having done more of what was "" right in the sight of the LORD," or having experienced more signal deliverances at his hands. Among these was his miraculous recovery from a mortal sickness; of which the LORD had condescended to assure him in answer to his prayer by a miraculous sign-the shadow receding on the sundial of Ahaz ten degrees. The King of Babylon, having heard of Hezekiah's sickness as the occasion of this wonderful phenomenon, sent ambassadors with letters and a present to inquire concerning it. (2 Kings xx. 12.) Well now, might we not expect that good king Hezekiah, so favoured of JEHOVAH, would gladly avail himself of this fair opportunity to set forth the glory of the true God, the God of Israel, in opposition to all the Babylonian idols? But it was quite otherwise. We are told,, that on this occasion "God left him to try him, that