It is applicable also to the church of God in all ages In this solemn address of God to his Church are contained I. His appeal Many and great are the temporal blessings which we enjoy [In our civil capacity, we possess civil and religious liberty In our social relations, our privileges and comforts are manyb In our personal concerns, we may all find abundant cause for gratitude-] But our spiritual advantages are greater still [We have infallible directions respecting the way of sal vation We are urged by the strongest motives to walk in itSufficient assistance also is provided for useWe have the religion of Christ established in the land'-] In the name of God then we call you to judge between God and your own souls [What obstructions to our fruitfulness has he not removed? What means of promoting it has he not used?1. If this were the subject of a Commemoration sermon, the peculiar advantages belonging to the society should be enumerated. John x. 9. and xiv. 6. I Cor. iii. 11. Acts iv. 12. Not only our hopes and fears, which are the grand springs of human activity and vigour, are excited, Rom. ii. 6-10. but the love of Christ is set before us as the most irresistible of all motives, 2 Cor. v. 14. e Luke xi. 13. Every Christian may adopt the apostle's words, Phil. iv. 13. f The Establishment has been "the pillar and ground of the truth" ever since the reformation. Its liturgy is pure and scriptural: its articles and homilies are a barrier against the intrusion of error: and, were its institutions observed as they ought to be, there would be no minister in its communion who was not orthodox in his opi nions and holy in his life; none could undertake the office of a a teacher, who was not himself taught of God, and moved by the Holy Ghost." 5 See the verse before the text; which, stripped of the figure, may be considered as comprehending the two questions contained in this bracket. h Could superstition obscure the light? its clouds have been dispelled by the revival of literary and religious knowledge. Could prejudice pervert our judgment? a liberality of sentiment prevails beyond the example of former ages. Could guilt dismay our hearts? We appeal to you, and make you judges in your own cause-] Happy were it for us, if, while we reflect on the advantages God has favoured us with, there were no reason for II. His expostulation The fruit which God requires, is suitable to the pains he has bestowed upon us [He expects, that we follow his directions and live by faith on his dear Son And that we feel the influence of the motives he has set before us And, that we go forth against all the enemies of our souls in a humble dependence on his promised aid—] But very different is the fruit which the greater part of us have brought forth [We have substituted in the place of Christ some selfrighteous methods of acceptance with God We have been actuated chiefly by earthly, carnal, and selfish principles We have gone on in the strength of our own resolutions, instead of looking up continually for the assistance of the Spirit Alas! our fruit has been only as "the grapes of Sodom, and clusters of Gomorrah”—] God has sent his own Son to die for us. Could a sense of our weakness discourage us? God has promised the aid of his Spirit. Could persecution alarm our fears? we "sit, every one under his own vine and fig-tree." Could erroneous teachers misguide us? care has been taken, as far as human foresight could prevail, to exclude them. What, then, has not God done that could be done? i How great the difference between him that produces good fruit, and him that "brings forth only wild grapes?" The one makes Christ all his salvation and all bis desire; the other exalts himself into the place of Christ, and wishes to become, in part at least, his own Saviour: The one regards eternal things as a reality; the other is scarcely more affected by them than if they were a fiction: The one conquers sin and Satan in the strength Christ; the other is ei ther openly or secretly led captive by them both. In a word, the one is a compound of humility, heavenly-mindedness, and zeal; and the other of pride, worldliness, and indifference. N. B. The notes,f h, and, are too much compressed, and the subject of them is too remote for a country congregation. To an illiterate auditory, a general and popular statement would be more edi. fying. But that God is displeased with our unprofitableness, will appear from III. His menace Under the figure of "laying waste" a vineyard, God warns us what he will do to us if we continue unprofitable servants 1. He will bestow no more pains upon us [He vho by "pruning and digging" has laboured incessantly for our good, will abandon us at last to our own hearts lusts He who has "commanded the clouds to rain down rain upon us," will cease to guard us by his providence, or assist us by his gracem-] 2. He will withdraw the advantages we now enjoy [He will "take away the candlestick" when we exclude or abuse the light" Or if he cause not "a famine of the word," he will make his gospel "a savour of death to us rather than of life”—] 3. He will expose us to the heaviest calamities [We may easily conceive how the wild boar of the field will desolate a vineyard, when its "fences are all removed”– And we know, from the instances of Peter and of Judas, what Satan will effect, if he be suffered to execute his will upon us Yet we can expect nothing but to be "delivered over to Satan for the destruction both of our bodies" and souls, if we "bring forth only wild grapes" after all the culture bestowed upon us3-] APPLICATION [What reason have we all to be ashamed of our unfruitfulness! And to tremble lest God should exécute apon us his threatened vengeance No words can more forcibly express his fixed determination to execute it, than the concluding words of our text Let us be thankful that the execution of it has been so long delayed Let the "forbearance exercised towards us, lead us to repentance" k Ver. 5, 6. m Gen. vi. 3. • 2 Cor. ii. 16. 9 Rom. ii. 4. Hos. iv. 17. Ps. lxxxi. 11, 12. a Luke viii. 18. Rev. ii. 5. P Heb. vi. 7, 8. Luke xiii. 7. and And let us henceforth seek to resemble the primitive Christians'-] And what reason can be assigned that shall justify our bringing forth only "wild grapes" under such circum stances? [Has there been any want of care on the part of the husbandman? Has there been any thing defective in the means he has used? Could he, consistently with his plans of government, have done more for us than he has done? Can we at all excuse ourselves, and cast with propriety the blame on him? "Judge ye" whether the fault be not entirely in your selves?-] Rom. vi. 22. XCIX. CHRIST THE DESIRE OF ALL NATIONS. Haggai ii. 7. The Desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of Hosts. MANKIND are apt to imagine that God is pleased with what is grand and magnificent in their eyes Hence the many splendid edifices that have been raised to his honour But a contrite heart is a more acceptable residence for God than even the temple of Solomon itself— The Jews, on their return from Babylon, began to rebuild their temple But they, who remembered the former temple, wept aloudb To encourage them to complete the structure, the prophet was sent to declare, that, however inferior this should be to the former in point of magnificence, it should exceed that in glory; for that the Messiah himself should adorn it with his own personal appearance Let us enquire I. Whose advent is here spoken of Isai. lxvi. 1, 2. b Ezra. iii. 11-13. The prophet does not speak of desirable things, as silver and gold He refers to Christ's advent, and appearance in the flesh Christ is here properly called "the Desire of all nations" Many in all nations do desire him [The Jews, by means of their captivities, or flight, were scattered through the Assyrian, Chaldean, Persian, and other empires And since the establishment of Christianity there are Christians in every corner of the globe Amongst these there is often found a considerable differ'ence with respect to clearness of knowledge and fervour of affection But the desire of them all accords with that of the apostle All nations, if they knew him, would desire him [He has in himself all imaginable excellencies, as God, as man, as mediator Would we desire a mighty Saviour? he is God over all'— Would we desire one in our own nature? he was made flesh Would we desire one that had testified his love? he has died for ush Would we desire one that from his own experience might sympathize with us? he has been tempted like us for this purpose1 If any hear of him, and desire him not, the reason is plaink] He did in due season honour the temple with his pre sence Some, indeed, put that interpretation on the text: but it is not probable that such an event would be so solemnly introduced; or that such a fact ever took place in the degree supposed; or that, if it did, the glory of their temple could by such means be brought to exceed that of the former, considering how many things there were in the former, of which the latter was destitute. d All nations indeed do not actually desire him, because they know him not: but they may be said to desire him, just as the whole creation is said to be waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God, &c. Rom. viii. 19-21. or, as Mount Zion is said to be the joy of the whole earth, Ps. xlviii. 2. e Phil. iii. 8—10. Eph. v. 2. f Rom. ix. 5. i Heb. iv. 15, & ii. 18. & John i. 14. k 2 Cor. iv. 4. |