poor." The poverty here referred to, is not of a temporal kind. How can that man be rich, who is destitute of an interest in Jesus, and who has not the grace of His Holy Spirit? He alone is rich, who has found the "Pearl of great price;" and he who has not this, though he may abound in this world's goods, and may puff himself up with pride, is poor indeed. Further; the Redeemer adds, "Thou art blind." That man is blind, in the most awful sense of the term, who discovers not the excellencies and glories of the blessed Jesus. The Saviour is indeed "the chiefest among ten thousand, and the altogether lovely;" but these see no beauty in Him, why He should be desired; a lamentable proof that they are blinded by the god of this world. "And naked." What a repulsive sight such a man would make in the streets! And how repulsive to the pure and holy eyes of God Almighty, must that man be, who is not clothed with the robe of Christ's righteousness! His own righteousness is but as filthy rags," and cannot recommend him to His favour, "who searcheth the heart, and trieth the reins of the children of men." ked; this is a term which comprehends in it shame, misery, and guilt. thee." Every Divine attribute to be found in the Scriptures, will bear in its application to our Lord Jesus Christ. What a rich cluster is there in Isaiah, that no one ought to read without reference to Him. "Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder. He shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace." Oh! this is the Divine Counsellor, who speaks in the text. We shall hear Him by and bye speaking in different language, and saying, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock." But here is the Divine advice. Oh! how kind is the Lord Jesus in thus encouraging us to come and receive counsel from His lips, when He might have exercised the fierceness of His anger upon us! But instead of His threatenings and His thunders, we hear Him speaking in terms of mercy. This counsel comes from your Lord and Saviour, who is wise and gracious too. cha In this counsel you perceive, first, the Saviour says, "I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire." This is a metaphorical expression, but there is a "Na-holy reality in it. On what can you fix your eyes, comparable to gold?" Shall we speak of the precious promises of the Gospel? These are as "apples of gold in silver frames, as a picture." And there are the graces of God's Holy Spirit. Now, gold here is of an enriching racter. "Gold tried in the fire," and found to be of an imperishable nature. Every man is poor, who is destitute of Christ and the Holy Spirit, whatever natural excellencies he may possess. This our Lord compared to "the Pearl of great price." "I counsel thee to buy of ME;" an emphasis is here. There is neither the gold referred to, nor the white raiment, nor the holy unction, but we must receive it from our Lord Jesus Such, then, was the state of those lukewarm souls; in a certain sense, worse than the openly profane. These were at ease in Zion. Dear hearers, if we thoroughly investigate the matter, what is our real state in the sight of God? Let us examine ourselves. What an awful day is approaching, when our characters will be all exposed before the sun, and men and angels! Hear; "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first." with the proud and self-righteous Pharisee, how great would be the contrast! You may as well attempt to balance a feather with a ton weight of gold. The Lord grant, we may none of us be joined with the boasting Pharisee. Further; our Lord says-" And white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed." And where will you get this, apart from the blessed Redeemer? "White raiment!" This seems to be a repeated expression in the apocalypse. The beloved John " saw, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number; and they stood before the throne of God and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes and palms in their hands." And in the thirteenth verse of the seventh chapter, it is written, "And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, Who are these which are arrayed in white robes, and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they, which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb!" We are quite of a mind with the pious and lovely Hervey, who has written so eloquently on this subject, that nothing short of the imputed righteousness of the Son of God can be understood. This is the "best robe," in which the saints of God stand before the throne of God. Toplady calls it "the spotless robe." that thou mayest see." We hear the beloved John saying, who imbibed so much of his Master's spirit, "Ye have an unction from the holy One and know all things." John means, undoubtedly, by the Holy One, our Lord Jesus Christ; and the Spirit proceeds from Him-the Spirit in His anointing and unction. One of the greatest mercies a Christian can desire is, to know his real state before God, and to have a good persuasion of interest in His favour. It is by the Scriptures, we discern the doctrine of human wretchedness and Divine recovery; self-destruction, and salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. Remember, then, the blessing the Saviour here invites us to partake of. Come to Me, says He, "I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see." How are we to obtain these blessings? "I counsel thee to buy of Me." "Buy" it! If you do not receive this word, why sing that hymn "Come to Jesus Christ and buy?" "Buy of Me." But what equivalent have they to give? You recollect what the prophet Isaiah says; he stands like a Divine herald, and cries-" Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no mouey; come ye, buy and eat; yea, come ye, buy wine and milk, without money and without price." We sing, and I wish we had more of the spirit of it the poet "All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His cross." Such, then, is your Redeemer's kind advice and counsel-Come unto Me, "that thou mayest be clothed." What excellency can the Almighty behold in you, if you have not on this robe, but are found naked? Can there be a more "Nothing in my hand I bring; Helpless to Thy cross I cling." repulsive sight, than a sinner in a state But there must be a parting with someof moral nakedness and destitution? Itwill thing, if indeed we receive these blessbe most awful,to be found in this wretchedings; and we must be willing to say with state another day. But having on the robe of the Redeemer's righteousness, we may lift up our heads with joy, and behold our redemption drawing nigh. But you remember the man, who had not on the "wedding garment;" and what said the King to him, "when He came into see the guests?" "Take him and bind him hand and foot, and cast him into outer darkness; "there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal." Again; you are counselled of Christ to "anoint thine eyes with eye-salve There must be no dependence on any supposed human excellence. We must be brought to say with the apostle"What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ; yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord." Oh! that we were all brought to this state of mind. You may be sure of this, that when God requires you to part with anything, or to give it up, it is for your good, and for the Di vine glory. May you be made partakers of His grace; then will you be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom. We hasten now, to make a concluding remark or two. And as there is such an awful picture of self-applause before us, does it apply to any of you this morning? It devolves upon us all to examine ourselves, that we may not be ignorant of the state in which our souls are. Oh! that this day salvation I am may come home to some of you. SKELETONS OF SERMONS. "All these things are against me." JOB'S DESPONDENCY. "Although thou sayest thou shalt not see Him Was Naomi ? No. Was Hannah? yet judgment is before Him; therefore trust thou in Him."-Job xxxv. 14. No. Was David? No. Was Asaph ? THOUGH there were some points on No. There is a sense in which God which Job differed from his friends, yet cannot be seen-(1 Timothy vi. 16). there were some on which they were God is a Spirit; hence cannot be seen agreed one of these was-that there by mortal eyes. But God may be is a providence exercised by God in the seen in His works-Word—in the person government of the world. This doctrine of His Son-(2 Cor. iv. 6). God is is embraced by all Christians; and is seen by the eye of faith. Now the Chrisone which involves most important con- tian may despair of seeing God in His sequences. Who can study the Bible, providence; that is, he may have no and doubt the providence of God? This hope of deliverance. The Christian was preached by God Himself to Job, in also may not see Him in prayer, in His the thirty-eighth, thirty-ninth, and house, in his experience, as he desires. fortieth chapters of this book. The Let us notice-1. The sinfulness of this friends of Job, though they misunder- state of mind. Presumption is sinfulstood his case, yet all directed him so is despair. That you may see its sinGod's providence, as the source of his consolation. And is not this the best source of consolation ?—(Psalm ciii. 19.) The Lord has a right to reign. This right to reign, is founded upon His relation to the world, as a Creator; on the excellency of His Being; and on His qualifications.-(Job xxxiv. 17). The Scriptures abound in proofs of this doctrine Read the history of Joseph, Abraham, David, Belshazzar and Job. Often meditate upon providence-(2 Chron. vi. 9). The text encourages you to trust fulness, consider, first, the perfections of God--(Isaiah lix. 1, 2). Secondly, the promises of His Word—(Isaiah 1. 10). Thirdly the facts recorded in Scripture. Take the case of Job himself. Compare this chapter with the fortysecond. 2. The causes of this despondency. They are the following:-Impaired health-ignorance of "the truth as it is in Jesus"-protracted sufferingthe indulgence of sin, and satanic influence. 3. The evils of this. Despondency gives the world an unfavourable impression of in God. Noticereligion. True, they ought not to judge I. Job's despondency. Elihu brings of religion by its professors; but they several charges against Job in this chap- do. They will not take the pains to ter. The first is self-righteousness-study it for themselves. But it is unfair (verses 1 and 2). The second is rebel- to lay the blame on religion—(Phil. iv. lion-(9-13). The third, despondency 4). This state of mind unfits for the -(14). There are several passages in duties which devolve upon us, &c. Job, which imply his despondency. One Again; this despondency dishonours you will find in chap. xxiii. 8, 9. Though God. he desired to see God, yet he despaired of it. This state of mind was not peculiar. Was Jacob a stranger to it? No. II. The source of his hope. Yet judgment," &c. The words " Although thou sayest thou shouldst not see Him," imply that Job thought he should not see God as a Judge, clearing up his cause. But Elihu encourages his hope. What delightful work! Christians, encourage the hope of your fellow-Christians. This is our duty. Parents, encourage hope in your children, &c. But let us not encourage a false hope. The word "judgment" is applied to justice, in opposition to mercy-(James ii. 13). Sinner, there is justice before thee. Oh! flee to Jesus, the only refuge from the coming storm. "Judginent" is opposed to imprudence. The word also is opposed to injustice. The meaning seems to be-God is a God of wisdom, He understands thy case, He will do thee justice. Job, thy God sees truth from error- -(Psalm xcvii. 7). Providence may be obscure, but it is just (1 Samuel ii. 3). And as He is just, so He is good-(Psalm lxxiii. 1). Then if God is just, He will fulfil His promises, &c. III. Job's duty. "Therefore trust," &c. Observe-1. The object of his trust. 2. Obligation. 3. The consequences of not trusting God-(verses 15, 16). This trust does not exclude the use of me ans, &c. II. The source of his consolation. The God in whom he trusted, was the God of salvation. This is the source to which all good men look--(Exod. xiv. 13; Psalm xlii. 5; Isaiah xxxiii. 2; Lam. iii. 26; Hab. iii. 17; Job xiii. 15). Faith sees light in darkness-life in death-deliverance in ruin. The believer looks at Learn - 1. The believer values -1. The Author of salvation. 2. The the manifestations of God to the nature-God's deliverances are seasonsoul. These manifestations delighted able-sometimes sudden-all free. Abraham, Jacob, Moses, &c. 2. The The instruments of salvation-angels nature of a believers' life. It is a warfare.-enemies-good men. One of our enemies is despondency. Then III. The prophet's resolution. This watch-(Eph. vi. 16).. 3. The im- includes-1. Expectation. portance of studying the Bible. Here you see the experience of good men. The joys and sorrows of their hearts are laid open to your view, &c. Sinners, you are now in the land of hope; but ne 3. This good man expected deliverance; and ought we not to expect it? 2. Prayer. Deliverances are generally preceded by prayer-(Daniel ix). 3. Patience"Wait.' "THE ANGLO-EPISCOPAL CHURCH, AND MODERN DISSENT.” THE members of the Church of England are no more to be blamed for maintaining their own system, than are those who differ from them for maintaining theirs: the real mischief of this particular controversy is found in the exclusive and excluding claims which are advanced on one side, and on the other, in the demoralisation of political ethics and economy, by their total severance from the acknowledged dominion of the one living and true God. Each party holds important truth mixed with serious error; and at present, unhappily, such is the warmth of controversialists, any mediating, reconciling attempts, would only draw down on the mediator the anger of both else, it would not be difficult to show, that there might be episcopal order without unchurching Christian societies of another form, and religious liberty without state-atheism."-Watchman. THE CONNEXION OF THE OLD AND NEW Religious Tract Society. up more Starry Heavens; with representations of detached portions of the firmament. He then considers the arrangement of the stars into Constellations, with sketches of their Mythological History; and the propriety of adopting a This narrative supplies a want often natural arrangement and delineation of felt. A succinct histery of the Jews the starry groups. The following two was needed, for the four hundred years chapters are devoted to the Distances from the time waen Nehemiah and and Magnitude of the Stars; and the Haggai and Malachi stood four next, to New, Variable, Double, to reprove andexhort and cheer the returned cap-Treble, Quadruple, and Multiple Stars. tives, until the days when the Lord Chapters follow on the Milky Way "suddenly came to His temple." The onl groups and clusters of Stars; period in question is not barren of events; on Nebulæ ; on the Motions and and a due acquaintance with this era is Aberrations of Stars; and on the essential to the formation of a just view Designs they are intended to subof the condition and character of the serve in the System of the Universe. Jews, at the appearing of Christ. The We have then an investigation into work was called for: and it has been exMeteoric Phenomena, Shooting Stars, and Unknown Celestial Bodies; followed by an examination of that very interesting doctrine-the plurality of worlds; in support of which Dr. Dick brings forward various arguments, both from reason and revelation; "so as to exhibit that position, not merely as conjectural or highly probable, but as susceptible of moral demonstration." The last three chapters are devoted to Comets, a Summary View of the Universe, and the Physical and Moral State of the Beings that may inhabit other Worlds. On the last mentioned subject, particular and probable details are brought forward, to an extent that will both surprise and gratify many a reader. More than eighty engravings adorn the work. ecuted with that accuracy and careful- THE SIDEREAL HEAVENS, and other Sub- Ward and Co., Paternoster Row. After an introduction, which sets forth the boundless nature of the subject, the author gives us a general view of the The following extract from Dr. Dick's observations on the Milky Way (which is one of the three thousand "nebulæ" ascertained to exist,) will tend to elevate our notions of that exalted Being, "who hath created these things," and "bringeth out their host by number," and "calleth them all by their names:" "The nebula whose light is 'perfectly milky,' being so far removed from us that the stars of which they are composed cannot be separately distinguished, may be justly considered as placed at ten thousand times the distance of Sirius, or one hundred and sixty eight thousand billions of miles. Light, notwithstanding its amazing velocity, would be nearly thirty thousand years ere it could Two thousand miles in a second. * |