The for ourselves, to enter into the promised rest. blessings we have received were imparted not to supersede our own endeavours, but to render them effectual; and it will be a grievous aggravation of our guilt, if we be found to have received them in vain. We are told by our LORD, that of those who will "seek to enter in at the strait gate" of the heavenly kingdom, " many shall not be able:"" and who can doubt that of these miserable beings, there will be a great number whose blessings and privileges were every way as great as our own? Let us then earnestly "strive to enter in," "seek first the kingdom of GOD and His righteousness," "count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of CHRIST JESUs," and ever "go on unto perfection": and then we "shall never fall for so an entrance shall be ministered unto us abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our LORD and SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST."2 J. O. 1 St. Luke xiii. 24. St. Matt. vi. 33. Phil. iii. 8. Heb. i. 6. 2 St. Pet. i. 11. SERMON III. THE CHRISTIAN POOR. DEUT. XV. 11. THE POOR SHALL NEVER CEASE OUT OF THE LAND. : The poor shall never cease out of the land. What a wonderful saying is this! In spite of all that man can do, either to persecute or to relieve the poor, to make poverty seem a crime, or to alleviate it by kindness and Almsgiving, there shall always be poverty. The poor shall never cease out of the land. This is indeed a most remarkable prophecy. The rich may cease out of the land there may no more be men living in luxury and affluence, or even in ease and comfort in the land but there will always be poor. They will never cease; we have the Word of God for it. They will be a standing testimony to the truthfulness and foreknowledge of GOD, Who uttered this prophecy. Now, why is this? it may be asked. Why will the poor never cease out of the land? It must be confessed that we do not know. The Bible states the fact that it will be so, but does not enter fully into the reasons of it. Yet we are not altogether without light upon the subject. We can see in part God's gracious purpose in causing the poor always to form a part of every community, and above all, of the Christian community, the Church. And the first of these reasons seems to be that the poor are the representatives of CHRIST. When we see a poor man we may, if we have an eye of faith, see CHRIST. CHRIST presents HIMSELF before us in the persons of poor men. One of our Christian poets has said "Man is God's image: but a poor man is CHRIST's stamp to boot: both images regard. Which I may thus explain. "A man is God's image,' for "in the image of GoD created HE man;" but a poor man is something more: he is not only the Image of GOD, but he is also the Image of CHRIST. Consider this then, says the poet, in your treatment of the poor. Whatever you do to a poor man, GoD reckons as done to HIMSELF: if it be an ill-turn, it will be counted an offence against GOD; if a favour is bestowed, GoD counts it as done to HIMSELF: so that when you make up your accounts, instead of putting down "So much given to the poor," you may write down "So much given to GOD"; and your alms will go before you to Heaven and keep the Gate of Heaven open, for if they Such is do not, you may find yourself shut out. George Herbert's view of the poor man's office. And like unto it is what our SAVIOUR says when He would show us how the poor represent HIM. "When the SON of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with HIM, then shall HE sit upon the throne of His glory. And before HIM shall be gathered all nations and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: and He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the KING say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My FATHER, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was an hungred, and ye gave ME meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took ME in: naked, and ye clothed ME: I was sick, and ye visited ME: I was in prison, and ye came unto ME. Then shall the righteous answer HIм, saying, LORD, when saw we THEE an hungred, and fed THEE? or thirsty, and gave THEE drink? When saw we THEE a stranger, and took THEE in? or naked, and clothed THEE? Or when saw we THEE sick, or in prison, and came unto THEE? And the KING shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto ME. Then shall HE say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from ME, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave ME no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave Me no drink: I was a stranger and took ME not in: naked, and ye clothed ME not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited ME not. visited ME not. Then shall they also answer HIM, saying, LORD, when saw we THEE an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto THEE? Then shall He answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to ME. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal." St. Matt. xxv. 31-46. ye Here our LORD plainly tells us that what we do unto one of the least of His brethren, whether they be hungry or thirsty, or cold, or naked, or a stranger, or in prison, we do unto HIM. HE counts the favour His, if to the poor a favour be done; the insult His, if to the poor an insult be offered. How careful then should we be in our treatment of the poor, considering that they are CHRIST's representatives, and that by dealing unfairly and unchristianly by them, we sin against CHRIST, and expose ourselves to His vengeance. The cry of the poor shall not always be forgotten; the patient abiding of the meek shall not perish for ever. Their wrongs will be heard: their cries will enter into the ears of the LORD of Sabaoth. Looking at the poor then in this view, we can see great reason for God's promise that they shall never cease out of the land. They represent CHRIST to us, and enable us to perform duties to HIM through them which we cannot perform to HIM in person. He intimates this when He says, "The poor ye have with you always, and when ye will ye may do them good: but ME ye have not always." When ye will ye may do them good! What a blessed provision is this if we would only consider it so. Whenever a man is pricked at the heart, and is conscious that his thoughts and cares have been too much given to the world, that his whole desire has been to get gain, that his habit of mind has been selfishness, and covetousness, and niggardliness: when he feels that he has thus sinned, and wishes to amend and do better, and show his love for his neighbour and his contempt for earthly treasures,-he has not far to go: the poor he has always with him; whenever he pleases he may do them good: they are a means of drawing down blessings on him ever at hand: he may |