Imatges de pàgina
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Son of the living God;-when he saw him brought to judgment, and about to be condemned to death,—his hope and assurance almost sunk in despair. Blessed be God, he gave the world a lesson of caution and humility. Blessed be God, he afforded encouragement to repenting sinners. He rose elastic from his degradation. The Saviour pitied his irresolution; but he knew, at the same time, that his heart was composed of the best materials of heaven. Immediately after his resurrection he gave a most touching testimonial of his tenderness to Peter. Go, said he by his Angel, gotell his disciples, and Peter, that he goes before you into Galilee.

I cannot avoid observing, that the change of character discovered by the disciples, and particularly by Peter, fifty days afterwards, when the supernatural illumination was communicated, affords a powerful corroboration of the truth of the Gospel history. You have witnessed Peter's melancholy state of mind, when he denied the master he loved so tenderly listen to his fearless developments now. 'Ye men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man from God, manifested among you by miracles, and wonders, and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: him, being delivered up to you by the determinate counsel and preordination of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain; whom God hath raised up, having loosed the bonds of death." Hear again: Then Peter, filled with the holy spirit, said, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, if we be examined this day concerning the good deed done to the

infirm man, by what means he hath been restored; be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, but whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you well.'

Such was the power of divine illumination. To the powerful evidence arising from this bestowal, you, my hearers, are born heirs. Favored with such advantages, it becomes you to be watchful, lest you sin against peculiar light; and if you have sinned like Peter, be thankful to your Maker for the power he communicates of emancipating yourselves from evil. Be watchful over the thoughts of your hearts, the words of your mouths, and the actions of your lives. Be so watchful as never to come under the dominion of a known sin. Distrusting your own wisdom and strength, relying upon those which come from above, and exercising unremitting vigilance over your Christian walk,-these virtues you are to esteem auxiliary to this blessed attainment.

3. But, in the third place, the Saviour adduces another virtue of indispensible importance; it forms the third and last doctrine of the passage under consideration. This is prayer: pray that ye enter not into temptation or trial.

There is a beautiful exemplification of this devotional spirit, recorded in the first chapter of the Acts. Of the Christian converts and eleven disciples, of certain women and Mary the Mother of Jesus, with his brethren, it is said: These all with one mind continued in prayer and supplication. It was now a most interesting period,-the

period that intervened between the ascension of Christ, and the communication of the spirit. Christ had commanded his converts, after their return from Galilee, not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father. This promise of the Father, or baptism of the spirit, was accomplished in about seven days; and as a preparation for this great event, nothing could have been more suitable than the course they pursued. Their Christian unanimity, and devotional exercises, prepared them for the reception of miraculous endowments.

My friends, you have no right, at the present period, to expect any miraculous bestowal in answer to prayer; the Israelites, after reaching the land of promise, might as well have looked for showers of manna. It seems to be a principle, in the divine economy, not to make superfluous grants. The purposes of inspiration were accomplished in the apostolic age by the establishment of Christianity; that once effected, its divine principles were left to their natural operation. But although you cannot anticipate from prayer the power of working miracles, there is something, something, too, of unspeakable moment,-which you may anticipate from observance of this command. I allude to that spiritual influence recognized in our text,— that mysterious aid, which helps your infirmities, preserves from temptation, delivers from evil, purifies your affections, and composes your spirit for earth and heaven. Had Peter been more watchful over his infirmities, instead of yielding to the pressure of sleep; had he repaired to that infinite Source of sufficiency, to which his lord had direct

ed him, and to which he repaired himself; he would have been saved, I doubt not, from the offences and sufferings of that fatal night.

My hearers, take warning by this example. You are exposed to temptation as well as Peter; and the same selfconfidence, the same want of watchfulness, the same indevotion, which he discovered, will lead to consequences equally to be deprecated.

There are many ways of denying Christ, besides that of denying that you know him. In one sense, it was most true, as Peter exclaimed, that he did not know the man. Most assuredly he did not know him, any more than he knew himself; for had he known this Son of the Highest, had he appreciated his divine character, had his heart been deeply imbued with religious truth, he could never have shown himself so weak and unworthy.

My hearers-every man is a Peter, when he deserts the cause of his Redeemer; when he lives in opposition to his commands ;-when he yields to the subjugation of sin; -when he experiences none of the power of his gospel on his soul; when its promises of divine comfort and peace find no avenue to his heart.-I speak not of the grosser vices: these are a sure passport to perdition. But you all deny your Lord while you continue unwatchful. You all deny your Lord, while you have no communion with the Father of your spirits. You all deny your Lord, when you remain uninfluenced by his blessed religion; when you refuse to welcome his ordinances; when you live without holiness, as if Christ had never lived; when you die without hope, as if Christ had never died, risen, and ascended.

I have now presented some developments, which I proposed to present, of self-distrust, christian watchfulness, and habitual devotion ;-three principles of Christianitythree grand rules of life-which, in the name of ¡the agonized sufferer of Gethsemane, I entreat you all to observe while you live.

I close this subject with a single observation: an observation applicable both to yourselves and he who addresses you. Every man who addresses his fellow men, desires that his reasonings and persuasions may accomplish their purpose. Mere speaking into the air is most discouraging and painful. Every man, too, that is disposed to listen to reasoning and persuasion, wishes to gain something of light and confidence, something of encouragement and vigorous resolve, to animate him in his remaining course. We do not assemble here, I trust,-either speaker or hearer, to wile away an hour in amusing pastime. No : we meet for mutual improvement, both intellectual and religious. I am not alluding, now, to that part of our services, which I esteem, incomparably the most important,— I am not alluding to our communion with the Omnipresent, the devotional intercourse with which he indulges us :-I am speaking of the views I unfold of duty and acceptance. According to the custom of our age and country,-I may say, according to the earliest establishment of Christianity, -it is my province to present, in the clearest and most scriptural light, I am able, the duties of a true Christian. It is my study and aim, I need not declare, to render my representations as well attractive as unambiguous and edi

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