DISCOURSE XIX. NATHANIEL. And Nathaniel said unto him, can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, come and see. Jesus saw Nathaniel coming to him, and saith of him, behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile ! Nathaniel saith unto him, whence knowest thou me ? Jesus answered and said unto him, before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathaniel answered and said unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God: thou art the King of Israel. Jesus answered and said unto him, because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.John i. 46 to 50. MUCH of the excellency of the scripture lies in this -that it does not state things in general representations, but descends to particulars-that it does not place them before us in speculative notions, but in practical effects that it does not describe them only, but exemplifies -so that we see them alive and in motion. The passage of scripture which is now to engage our attention is peculiarly interesting and instructive. It is a narrative of the interview between our Lord and Nathaniel. It leads us First, to observe the advantages of occasional solitude. What was Nathaniel doing under the fig tree? We are not informed. Perhaps he was reading the scripture-perhaps he was engaged in meditation perhaps he was praying-perhaps he was joining himself to the Lord in a perpetual covenant, saying, “Lord "I am thine, save me, and manifest thyself to me.' Some purpose had allured him there, which our Saviour noticed and approved; he saw him in secret and he now rewards him openly. Does he see us? are we strangers to retirement? Surely if we are christians, and concerned for the welfare of our souls, we shall often retire and find that we have much to do alone. I pity the man whose life is full of action, and void of thought. I pity the professor who lives only in public, who is always hearing sermons, who pays very little attention to the duties of the family, and noné to those of the closet. It is alone that we disengage ourselves from the dominion of the world: the world conquers us in a crowd, when our senses are dazzled, and our minds amused, and we are too much occupied to find out the cheat-but when we are withdrawn from it, when we calmly consider it as an object of lonely contemplation, O how is its importance diminished, how is its influence reduced-ah! it is then we sigh-vanity of vanities, all is vanity. It is alone that conscience operates, that motives impress, that truth is examined and applied. It is alone that we obtain a knowledge of ourselves; there we can examine our condition, investigate our characters, discover our follies and our weaknesses. Alone we can be familiar with God and divulge to him secrets which we could not communicate to the dearest friend, or express in any public, or social exercises of religion. OI love the fig tree! I love to go forth from among the works of man to enjoy the creation of God: to enter a wood-to walk through a field of standing cornto follow the windings of a river-to view the playfulness of the lambs-to listen to the varied melody of the birds-O here is nothing to vex, nothing to pollute. What an innocency, what a softness does it spread over the mind-how disposed is the heart to welcome and cherish every devotional sentiment! O sacred solitude! divine retreat! "There blest with health, with business unperplext, "This life we cherish, and insure the next."" Secondly. Let us remark how perfectly acquainted our Saviour is with our most private concerns. Whence knowest thou me? asks Nathaniel when our Saviour had in few words developed his character. Jesus answered-when thou wast under the fig tree I saw thee. This good man imagined himself alone there; he supposed no eye saw him. No wonder therefore he was surprised to hear a person who appeared only a man like himself announcing the whole affair, no wonder he was immediately convinced of his Messiaship, and exclaimed, Rabbi thou art the son of God, thou art the king of Israel. To know all persons and things infallibly is the prerogative of God only; He therefore claims it in distinction from all creatures: "the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately "wicked, who can know it? I the Lord search the 66 heart, I try the reins even to give every man accor"ding to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings." And what says our Lord in his address to John? "The churches shall know that I am he who "searcheth the reins and hearts, and I will give unto 66 every one of you according to your works." In the days of his flesh, actions were not necessary to inform him, nor did he derive additional discovery from the declarations of others: "he knew all men and needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.' '' Let us remember therefore, that "the eyes of the "Lord are in every place, beholding both the evil and "the good." Of this he will give proof hereafter, when "he shall bring every work into judgment with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." It will be in vain for the sinner then to say when his wickedness is published to the world-whence knowest thou this?—I saw thee, says the judge divising mischief upon thy bed, I saw thee walking in a way that was not good, I saw thee endeavoring to stifle every conviction of conscience and to banish every serious reflection from the mind-Thou hast always stood in my presence--thou hast always sinned under mine eye. I beheld all thy actions, I heard all thy words, all thy thoughts were open to my view--and here they all are- --But let the righteous rejoice. He sees their situations, their trials, their dangers, their fears and their desires. He has " engraven them upon the palms of "his hands, their walls are continually before him." Let the broken hearted penitent be encouraged. Godly sorrow affects loneliness. Into many a corner you retire to pour out tears unto God: well, thither his eye follows you--" to this man will he look, even to "him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and that trem"bleth at his word. And the Lord said unto Ananias, arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, "and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, "of Tarsus: for behold he prayeth." Thirdly, sincerity in religion, is a quality which our Saviour calls upon us to observe and admire. What an honorable character, as he approaches him, does he give Nathaniel? "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom "is no guile." By calling him an Israelite, he distinguishes him from other nations, and by calling him an Israelite indeed, he distinguishes him from his own nation. For all were not Israel who were of Israel. From the beginning "he was not a Jew who was one "outwardly, neither was that circumcision which was outward in the flesh; but he was a Jew who was one inwardly, and circumcision was that of the heart in "the spirit, and not in the letter, whose praise was not "of men, but of God." Now Nathaniel was one of these true Israelites; he was in reality, as well as by profession, one of the people of God. And the evidence he gave of this, was his freedom from guile. But our Saviour does not say he has no guilt--a man may be freckled, or have spots, and not be painted. A christian is not sinlessly pure--he has many unallowed and bewailed infirmities--but guile he has not: he is no hypocrite. He does not in religion ascend a stage to assume a character which does not belong to him. He is what he appears to be. There is a correspondence between his professions and actions, his meaning and his words. He is upright in his dealings with himself--in his dealings with his fellow creatures-and in his dealings with his God. He is all of a piece. He is the same alone as in company: the same in his own house as in the house of God: the same in prosperity as in adversity. This is the character that stands fair with his own conscience. This is the character that enthrones himself in the esteem of others. This is the character that the King of Glory delights to honor. "The prayer "of the upright is his delight. Light is sown for the "righteous, and joy for the upright in heart, The up" right shall dwell in thy presence. The Lord God is "a sun and shield, the Lord will give grace and glory : no good thing will he withold from them that walk uprightly. Hast thou--said he to Satan--hast thou "considered my servant Job that there is none like him “in the earth, a perfect and upright man, one that fear"eth God, and escheweth evil." And placing such a character before us in a situation the most sublime and awful, he says, "mark the perfect man, and behold the "upright, for the end of that man is peace." There are two reasons why he calls upon us to admire a Nathaniel. The one is the rareness of the character. It is not to be seen every day. Many make no pretensions to religion, and many have only a form of godliness, while they deny the power thereof. "Broad is the road that leads to death, "And thousands walk together there ; |