Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

He knows that such a change as has been made in him, COULD only have been made by Him who is above all principalities, and above all powers. The "God of the spirits of all flesh;"*"not the author of confusion, but of peace;" + whose name is LOVE, who is a SPIRIT," in whose hand is the SOUL of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind;"|| and whose is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever.

The converted sinner KNOWs that He alone, who stilleth the raging of the seas, could thus becalm the madness of his people! Where, I ask, can we look forth on a sea so turbulent, so black, so tossed by tempests, so overhung with storm and darkness, as that troubled sea, described by the prophet-the mind of the wicked man?

And yet, when man "bethinketh himself," ¶ and repents,—when "the wicked forsakes his way, and the unrighteous his thoughts,"** when man 66 quencheth no longer the "quits the far country," "and

Spirit,"

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors]

comes to himself; "*_does not the cloud of his transgressions gradually pass away? Does not repentance make a dawn to spring over his troubled sea? Does not "the Spirit of GOD move upon the face of the waters,"† as the weeping morning of his new life quietly begins?

And, when we read of the miracles which our Saviour performed on earth for the establishment of his religion, can we not beneficially be recommended to bear in mind the miracle which, before our eyes, he performs, for our conviction, for our persuasion, for our conversion unto him, and that we may flee "for refuge, to lay hold on the hope which is thus SET BEFORE US:" while we see the wretched in FAITH comforted; the heavyladen refreshed; the prisoners released; the blind receiving their sight; the lame walking; the lepers cleansed; the deaf hearing; the dead raised; and the "troubled sea" made calm: as God, in his mercy, returns unto the man, who, in penitence and humility, returns unto him! §

[ocr errors]

*See Luke xv. † See Gen. i. 2.

Heb. vi. 18.

See Zech. i. 3, 4. See Appendix S.

SERMON XII.

66

PSALM XCVI. 9.

O, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness."

WHATEVER be the exact meaning or purport of these words, at any rate they contain a most earnest exhortation to us, to worship God in a becoming manner,-to use such behaviour during our public devotion, as is due to the subject on which we are occupied, and the place which we are in. And, therefore, if there be any rules enacted by the church to which we belong, for the maintenance of order and suitable decorum in our public worship, surely those rules ought to be attended to and observed by those who profess to be members of that church.

When the church, for instance, has made it customary for those, who come to join in

her public service, to kneel down during parts of that service, or to stand, or to sit; persons who come to the church, for the purpose of joining in that service (which is supposed to be the object of those who do come) should comply with such rules.

If compliance of manner and corresponding and suitable decency of behaviour is readily observed at every common festival or meeting, where numbers have come together for any special purpose, is it too much to ask of men to be similarly complying, and willing to submit to similarly suitable regulations, when they meet to pray in the places set apart for the worship of their God?

If, again, parts of the Common Prayer of the church service ought necessarily to be repeated by the congregation, such as the General Confession at the beginning of the service, appointed to be said by the whole congregation after the minister; the Lord's Prayer, the verses after the Lord's Prayer, and so on;— it is extremely difficult to imagine what possibly can be the motive of persons who come to church, as I before said, professedly with the object of joining in the worship there, and then, when they are there, sullenly refusing to do so.

It is obvious that every society, of whatever nature it be, must have its rules and regulations, for the preservation of order, decency, quiet, and seemliness, such as I before mentioned.

We,

The Church of England is a soCIETY. its members, meet here, to worship God in spirit and in truth! And the RULE which that society has laid down for the preservation of order and decorum during that service, I will just read to you before I say more.

"In the time of divine service, and of every part hereof, all due reverence is to be used; for it is according to the apostle's rule, ' Let all things be done decently, and according to order;' answerably to which decency and order, we judge these our directions following. All manner of persons present shall reverently kneel upon their knees, when the General Confession, Litany, and other prayers, are read; and shall stand up at the saying of the Belief, according to the rules in that behalf prescribed in the Book of Common Prayer: testifying, by these outward ceremonies, inward humility, christian resolution, and due acknowledgment, that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, is the only Saviour of the world; in whom alone all the promises of

« AnteriorContinuar »