Judas and the foolish virgins awfully exemplified it 3. Will not a feigned allegiance be discovered by him? [We may easily deceive our fellow-creatures→→ But every motion of our hearts is visible to Christ' Nor can the most specious appearances deceive hims In his final judgment he will shew that he was privy to our most secret thoughts and desires-] 4. Shall we not wish at last that we had been sincere and upright? [The reproach which attends the exercise of real religion, may make us satisfied with the form of it at presentBut in the day of judgment we shall see our follyWe shall not know what to reply to this question thenThe vain excuses we now make we shall not even dare to offer-] APPLICATION [Let all then seek to become Christians indeed Let us not be afraid to confess our Lord before men— But let our lives be consistent with our professionsLet us trust in the Lord as simply as if obedience were not required Let us obey the Lord as zealously as if obedience only were required-] d Matt. xxv. 3, 11, 12. h 1 Cor. iv. 5. e Matt. vii. 21—23. John ii. 24, 25. i Wisd. v. 1-9. LXIV. AN EXHORTATION TO CARELESS SINNERS. Eph. v. 14. Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. THERE is a harmony in the Scriptures which many overlook and destroy Detached passages are often wrested to establish a fa vourite system' But the various truths of God should be viewed as they stand connected with each other Calls to duty are supposed to imply the sufficiency of man to do the will of God; while the confessions or petitions of the saints, and the promises of divine aid given to them, are brought to justify a negligence in the use of means. There would then be diversity indeed, but no contrariety between them" This observation will throw light, as on many other parts of Scripture, so on that before us in particular; in which we have I. A command The Scripture abounds with useful and instructive metaphors Our state is here represented under the images of sleep and death Sleep implies a state of inactivity and security [Men are busily employed about their worldly concernsBut a lamentable supineness prevails with respect to spiritual things The generality do not apprehend their souls to be in any danger Death, judgment, heaven, and hell, do not seem worthy their notice God's threatenings against them are denounced without effect They are like Jonah, sleeping in the midst of a stormHence they are described as " at ease from their youth"e. To the same effect is the testimony of him that searcheth the heartd-] Death includes the ideas of impotence and corruption [An inanimate body cannot perform any of the functions of life It has within itself the seeds and principles of corruptionThe soul also, till quickened from the dead, is in a state of impotence It is incapable of spiritual action or discernment— Its powers and faculties are altogether vitiated___ Whatever is loathsome and offensive to God proceeds from its So true is that humiliating declaration!"-] Yet, notwithstanding this state appears so desperate, we b God gives a command, Ezek. xviii. 31. David, knowing his duty, and feeling his inability to perform it, had long before presented this to God in the form of a petition, Ps. li. 10. And God, to encourage such applications to him, promises to work in us that which he requires of us, Ezek. xxxvi. 26. e Jer. xlviii. 11. e John xv. 5. 1 Cor. ii. 14. Mark vii. 21, 22. d Ps. x. 4, 5. f Rom. vii. 18. h Job xv. 14-16. must address, to every one that is under it, the command "Awake," &c. [Your inactivity and security involve you in the deepest guilt Your corruption of heart and life provokes the majesty of God Nor is your impotence any excuse for your disobedienceIt is your love of sin that disables you for duty Nor is God deprived of his right to command, though you have lost your power to obey Let every one then strive to comply with this heavenly call They who exert their feeble powers may expect divine assistance] To convince us that none shall fail who use the appointed means, God enforces his command with II. A promise Sleep and death are states of intellectual darknessHence light is promised to those who obey the divine mandate Light in Scripture imports knowledge, holiness,' comfort, and glory" m And all these blessings shall they receive from Christ, the fountain of light of Knowledge [Spiritual knowledge every natural man stands in need Nor is it attainable by the teaching of men, or the efforts of geniusP it We can receive it from none but Christ Hence Christ invites us to come to him for it"— Nor shall an application to him ever fail of success'-] Holiness [A despair of attaining this deters many from seeking iSee Matt. xii. 10, 13. The man with the withered hand was unable to stretch it forth; but in attempting to obey, he was endued with strength. Isai. viii. 20. n Col. i. 12. 4 Matt. xi. 27. VOL. I. 。 Mal. iv. 2. John i. 9. P Matt. xi. 25. Matt. xi. 29. 3 K They think their inveterate habits cannot be rooted out'— But Christ is our "sanctification" as well as our wisdom"— His very name encourages us to expect deliverance from him* And he will fulfil the promises which he has made to this effects-] Comfort [A sense of guilt shall yield to holy joy2— Deplored weakness shall be succeeded by a divine energyOur delight in him shall be spiritual and exalted It shall far transcend all earthly pleasures-] Glory [Our Lord will not confine his blessings to this world" He will raise his people to thrones of glory He will cause them to participate his own inheritance He will be the ground and object of their joy for ever—] APPLICATION [What greater encouragement can any one desire?— What richer promises can any one conceive?— How suited are they to our necessities!— Let every one consider the command as addressed to himself; "Awake, Thou" Let all our powers and faculties be called forth to action— In exerting ourselves let us expect the promised aid— Thus shall we be eternal monuments of Christ's power and grace t Jer. ii. 25. * Matt. i. 21. z Isai. xxix. 19. and Ixi. 3. b Isai. li. 11. and lviii. 11. d Ps. lxxxiv. 11. f Rom. viii. 17. u 1 Cor. i. 30. y Mic. vii. 19. Isai. i. 25. a Isai. xxxv. 5, 6. e Ps. lxxxiv. 10. and iv. 6, 7. 8 Isai. Ix. 19, 20. LXV. THE FINAL JUDGMENT REPRESENTED BY THE HARVEST. Joel iii. 13. Put ye in the sickle; for the harvest is ripe. THIS is a remarkable prophecy of the destruction of God's enemies The prophet summons the executioners of vengeance to come up against thema— They are represented as a field of corn The command is given to cut them down; and the prophet instantly sees them fall; "multitudes," &c. Our Lord delivers a parable resembling this in reference to the whole world In a similar manner we shall improve the passage before us, by enquiring I. What it is that makes us ripe for the great harvest There is a ripeness to which every one must attainThe wicked have a measure of sin which they must fill up0→ The righteous have degrees of holiness for which they are reserved There are growing in the world both tares and wheat—- [It unfits the soul for the enjoyment of GodIt renders a person meet for destruction_ It creates many horrors, which are foretastes of hell itself-] Holiness is ripening others for glory [It unfits the soul for the society of the wickedIt induces a meetness for the heavenly inheritanceIt is a source of joys which shall be consummated in glory-] The holy Scriptures enable us to discern a The valley of Jehosaphat, or of decision, to which they are summoned, ver. 12, 14. seems to be not any particular place: It may rather be considered as an allusion to the utter destruction which bis enemies (the Syrians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Grecians, and Romans) should successively bring on each other. And it may have a further reference to the destruction of Antichrist, and of the wicked at the last day. b Gen. xv. 16. Eph. iv. 7, 13. Not that there is any general standard either of sin or holiness to which all persons must attain: There is no degree of sin to which any shall be impelled against their will; nor of holiness, which any shall be prevented from surpassing. But some are kept from more sin, and others are excited to more holiness, by the preventing or assisting grace of God; for sinners would commit more sin unless prevented, and saints attain less holiness unless excited. d. As dry wood for the fire. See Luke xxiii. 31. |