Imatges de pàgina
PDF
EPUB

confciences of those who by faith look on, and his blood fpeaks peace and pardon in the hearts of fuch as come and behold him crucified. The Holy Ghoft, the Spirit of Chrift, and who comes in the name of Jefus, takes the blood of the New Teftament and befprinkles body and foul, fo that we who believe can fay, "I have found redemption in his blood, even the forgiveness of fins." And this is no fancy, no bare reflection or meditation; but as certainly as we have once felt the intolerable weight of fin, and known our guilt, fo certainly do we know we are pardoned by the offering up of the body of Chrift for us. We have been up at his facrifice, we have been wafhed in the laver of his blood and water, and have now our ephods clean and white, and stand round about his altar with linen garments, kings and priests to our God. As it was the office of the priests formerly to offer their prayers while the fmoak of the facrifice went up toward heaven, fo we offer all our prayers and praifes in the finoak of the torment of Jefus Chrift: we know nothing is fweet till perfumed with this incenfe; nothing is hallowed or fanctified, but as it is laid on this Golden Altar, and fprinkled with this blood. Again, as the priests formerly fung and blew trumpets all the while the facrifice burned; fo all our hymns and fongs of praife are nothing elfe but a folemn thanksgiving; that by the facrifice of Chrift all our fins are remitted and pardoned, and blotted out, and put away. On this account we fing with such inconceivable pleasure of his death, of his wounds, and how he poured out his foul. We know how we, who once feared to approach the throne of God because we were unclean, now can come boldly and minister in our white garments without fear. This is our office as long as we are in the world, and this we fhall not ceafe to do when in heaven. To us

who

J

who believe, and have our fins put away, it is given to be prefent with the Lamb, and to ftand fo in faith, as if we were among the multitude who were his murderers. We are his witneffes, as if we had seen him die; and while others deride and mock, or flight and difefteem the Lamb, we worthip and minifter to him. Our whole bufinefs for ever is to plead and offer his death and facrifice before God, and to blow our trumpets in his praise to the world, and before all the firft-born; and in this we do nothing more than mingle with that innumerable company, who now are bowing before him, as he fits upon his throne ftained with his own blood, in the office of the High Prieft over the whole houfe of God, and thank and blefs him in their language; for we, as well as all the rest now with him, have been redeemed and ranfomed by him. "Therefore with angels and archangels, and all the goodly company of heaven, we worship him that fits upon the throne, even the Lamb that was flain, faying, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord, and bleffed be his name for ever and ever. Amen."

AN HYMN.

I. JESUS, Son of God!

Who lov'd the world fo dear,

That thou to fave 't, in flesh and blood
Didft in the world appear:

With tears of thankfulness
Our fouls remember thee,
In all thy weaknefs and difgrace,
And pain and mifery.

1 4

2. Thee

2. Thee on that night we view,
When Judas thee betray'd:
We fee thee with the foldiers go,
With all thy raiment red:
For with thy bloody fweats,
Thy cloaths, thou Child divine!
Appear'd like thofe who tread the fats,
And roll their cloaths in wine.

3. Soon thorns thy temples crown'd,
Then fcourg'd before the crowd,
'Till ftreams of blood from ev'ry wound
Down thy dear body flow'd:
When fore thy flesh was hewn,
That ev'n the bones were feen,
Then waft thou to thy people fhewn;
One cry'd," Behold the Man!"

4. Thy pain here ended not,

Thou yet thy cloaths must wear,
And on these fhoulders, raw and cut,
Thy heavy cross must bear :
Then down didft meekly lay,
(O deareft Lamb of God!)
And let them tear thy cloaths away,
And with them skin and blood.

5. Thy hands and feet they tore,
Then nail'd thee on the tree;
O then what grief didft thou endure,
What pain and mifery!
Opprefs'd unfpeakably

With all mankind's mifdeeds;
All unbelief and mifery!
Behold! he hangs and bleeds.

6. Three

6. Three long and bitter hours
He groan'd and cry'd aloud;
The rulers of infernal pow'rs
So long afflicted God:

1

Then fell beneath their ftroke

The Prince and Lord of all!

And down death, hell, and fin he broke
In his amazing fall :

7. Thus he for fin aton'd,

Thus paid the ransom-price;

And thus the Lamb of God was bound,
And made a facrifice:

Salvation to the Lamb!

Through heav'n immediate rung: Salvation to Immanuel's name! Shall ever be our fong,

[blocks in formation]

DISCOURSE XXX.

LOT'S FLIGHT.

GEN. xix. 17.

Efcape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither flay thou in all the plain: escape to the mountain, left thou be confumed.

THESE words the angels fpake to Lot and his

family when they had brought them out of Sodom, and were about to take leave of them. The bletfed fpirits feemed apprehenfive of their being yet in danger either of loitering, or looking back, or ftaying in the plain, though they were out of the city, and therefore puts them in mind their lives were at ftake; and to be difobedient now, or to dly, would be to run the risk of being confumed and, in the moft preffing manner, charges them in my text, to make the best of their way, and fly for their lives.

This part of the divine hiftory is really moft affecting here we may fee at once both the goodnefs and severity of God; his goodness in faving Lot's houfe, his feverity in deftroying the cities of that country in fo awful a manner.

It appears, by what precedes my text, that all thofe unhappy cities, and the country round about, had abounded in all plenty, and pride, and fulness

9

of

« AnteriorContinua »