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liverance from sin, its bondage and its punishment-rejoicing in the hope of that life and immortality which is brought to light through the gospel. In fancy we can pursue this converted Ethiopian as he is returning through the sultry desarts, that lie between him and his native city, not affected by the pains and pleasures of the world as before, but absorbed in the contemplation of the sublime truths he has discovered, and the expectation of communicating the same truths, and the same hopes and joys to his fellow citizens. What heart that will not sympathize with him in his holy joy? Are there not some among the readers of this sermon, who can realize the feelings of this noble Ethiopian,-some who like him, have been enquiring in darkness and doubt, with painful anxiety asking what they should do to be saved; like him have been directed to Jesus, who is the way, the truth, and the life; like him have believed with all their hearts, have been baptized with the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, and now, like him, go on their way rejoicing-rejoicing on their way through the toilsome journey of this life to their eternal home? Such will give candid attention, while, with the Bible in our hands, and the experience of saints before our eyes, we endeavor to point out some of the sources of joy to a pious mind. A soul that feels conviction of sin, that sees' he has transgressed, times without number, the law of God; that feels in his conscience the justness of the sentence which condemns him to eternal punishment, while hell is naked before him, and destruction withont a covering,such a soul is prepared to feel the value of a Saviour. If then he be directed to Jesus, who has borne our sins in his own body on the tree, and is therefore able to save even to the uttermost all those who come to God by him, he receives him with all his heart, and believing, rejoices with joy unspeakable and full of glory. He has found a Saviour who is Christ

the Lord; one who by his death de livers him from the curse of the law, and by his Spirit, from the bondage of sin, and never, never will he cease to feel the cheerful emotions of joy and gratitude to his Divine Redeemer, until he ceases to remember his own natural character, and the guilt and punishment from which Christ bath delivered him. Every look which he casts back upon his state as it was by nature, enhances his gratitude and his joy. He is united to his Redeemer, by a love which is stronger than death. Christ is to him the wisdom of God, and the power of God, the chiefest among tea thousand, and the one altogether lovely.

Another source of joy to the renewed soul, arises from the contemplation of the character and government of God. God is now his father, his portion and his everlasting inheritance. He dwells upon the divine perfections with delight. They are pledged for his protection and support; his they are, to be enjoyed by sweet communion, in meditation, prayer and praise. Even unrenewed men find something in the character of God to engage their attention. Our natural fondness for the sublime, is fully gratified in striving to stretch the mind to a comprehension of his omnipresence and eternal existence. Our natural love of order finds satisfaction in considering the infinite greatness and wisdom of him, who sits at the head of the universe, and causes the systems of worlds to roll before him with perfect regularity. But the christian stops not here. The contemplation reaches his heart. He also admires the natural perfections of God, but is principally delighted by his holiness, his goodness, and his mercy to a fallen world. It is not admiration merely, it is love that kindles the sacred flame in his bosom, when he is wrapt in the coutemplation of the divine perfections. Surely no joys enter the human breast more pure, more noble, thau the exalted and exalting raptures of strong

and fervent devotion.

It raises the sad vicissitudes of this miserable world. When he considers how great a portion of the earth is covered with heathenish darkness, how great a part, even of the civilized world, is led astray by ignorance and error, when he sees vice triumphant and virtue crushed, while unprincipled power drives liberty and religion and happiness before it, his sou! would sink within him, did he not remember, that the wrath of man

soul from earth to heaven, purifies it from the baser passions of this lower world, and makes it strive for a conformity with its great Creator. "I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness." When the christian descends from the height of his devotion, every object which he beholds seems to bear the stamp of its Creator. He

"Looks through nature up to nature's shall praise God, that the remain

God."

To his eye, each blade of grass, or fluttering insect displays divine goodness. Before, he had admired the beauties of the creation, but then he saw not their Author. Nature now has drawn aside her veil, and as he looks abroad through her productions,

he

Can lift an unpresumptuous eye to heaven, And smiling say, my Father made them all.

Are they not bis by a peculiar right,
And by an emphasis of interest his,
Whose eye they fill with tears of holy joy,
Whose heart with transport, and whose
tongue with praise ?

But it is not merely the character and works, the government of God also forms a permanent source of joy to his children. In this they differ widely from the children of the world. To them no one doctrine of scripture perhaps is more disagreeable than the divine sovereignty. They cannot bear to think that God fixes every event, working all things according to the counsel of his own will, and until they shall lay aside the weapons of their rebellion, it must forever be a fearful thing for them to be in the hands of the living God. But to a pious mind, on the contrary, what can be more cheering than to think, that at the head of the universe is a being, whose goodness will choose the best ends, and whose wisdom and power will enable him to attain them. All shall work together for good, for the glory of God, and for the happiness of his obedient creatures. This consolation supports him amid the

der of wrath he will restrain, and that all things shall work together for good to those that love Him. When afflictions come heavy upon himself, his family, or his friends, he bows with calm resignation, for he sees the hand of a Father amid the chastenings of his God. He knows that these sufferings are designed to wean him from the world, and to lead him towards heaven, and in quiet submission, can say, 'not my will, but thine be done.' He adopts the language of Habakkuk, "Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vine; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls; yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation." Although evils of every shape surround him, and convulsions shake the kingdoms of the earth, yet his soul, when stayed on God, is kept in perfect peace. "The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice, let the multitude of the isles be glad thereof."

Another source of christian joy, arises from hope. Every one knows how great a part of our happiness in this life is derived from the expectation of future good.

"Hope springs eternal in the human breast, "Man never is but always to be blest."

We fix our eyes on some object before us in our course, which we ima gine, if it could be obtained, would yield us happiness. After much struggle, we reach, we grasp it,

but soon find that happiness is not there. After a few moments of regret we again cast our eyes forward, and pursue some other object with the same eagerness and expectation as before. In this manner disappointment follows close, the companion of hope through the ever-shifting scenes of this transitory world. The christian's faith gives him all the pleasures of hope, without any of the alloy of disappointment. The good which he seeks is so distant that he does not expect to reach it in this life, and so great that it cannot disappoint him in death. "For eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared, for them that love him." When the cares and disappointments of this mortal life threaten to destroy his tranquility, he looks forward to the crown of glory which the Lord, the righteous Judge, hath prepared for those that love his appearing; and the trifling cares of this life shrink into their comparative insignificance. Thus with an eye fixed on the glories of the future world, he goes on his way rejoicing. He finds joy in the exercise of love and gratitude towards his Saviour, who has delivered him from the curse of the law, and by his Spirit from the bondage of sin;-joy in the character, and government and works of God, and joy in the brightening hopes of future glory. In enumerating these great sources of christian happiness, we have omitted many smaller streams, which continually refresh his soul. Such are those, which arise from an approving conscience, from appetites subdued, from passions regulated, from the exercise of pure aud enlarged benevolence to his fellow men, from the extension and prosperity of the Redeemer's kingdom. These are joys which the world cannot give nor take away.

In casting the eyeback to review the joys of the christian, one striking difference presents itself, between the pleasures of religion, and the pleasures of the world. It is this; the blessings

of this life are denied to a great part of the species, those of religion extend to every heart that is open to receive them. The ignorant for instance cannot enjoy the pleasures of science, the poor are denied the conveniences which wealth can purchase. The blind are shut out from the beauties of nature, the sick are at once cut off from every blessing in life, unless it be the sympathy of friends, and to the slave even this sad consolation is denied. So partial, so precarious is earthly good: but nothing can exclude the pleasures of religion. They are common to every condition, in which man can be placed. She delights to visit the poor, the suffering, and the contrite soul, bestowing her sweetest smiles and choicest gifts on those whom the world has abandoued. This makes us very imperfect judges of the happiness of the righteous. Often when men think them the most unhappy, they are in reality enjoying the most exquisite moments of life. But it is a joy with which the stranger intermeddleth not. Witness the Apostles. In hunger and thirst, in cold and nakedness, scourged, stoned, persecuted from city to city, surely in the eye of the world, they were of all men the most miserable. Yet what christian will think himself as happy as were the Apostles? Their whole souls were engaged in the delightful employment of doing good. The vastness of the object so completely filled their minds, that the evils which they suffered seemed light compared with the pleasure they felt in extending the Redeemer's kingdom. Hear an Apostle himself upon this subject. "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed. As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing and yet possessing all things. For our light affliction which is but for a moment, worketh out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." According

to the promise of their Saviour, they received an hundred fold more in this life, even with persecution; and in the world to come life everlasting. In their own language, they were always rejoicing, and they exhort their Thessalonian brethren to rejoice evermore. The martyrs who immediately succeeded the Apostles, and those who suffered at the time of the reformation, bore testimony to the unspeakable joy of faith, and wonderfully mingled the breath of praise, with the flames that were devouring them. Even at the present time and among ourselves, christians, while under the severest sufferings, have found in the consolations of the Spirit, that promise fulfilled, "As thy days, so shall thy strength be." But it is not in adversity only, that religion shows its power. It also sweetens the blessings of prosperity, and adds a purer relish to all the innocent enjoyments of life. But above all she stands by when every other support fails us, goes with us through the dark valley of the shadow of death, and enables her votaries triumphantly to say; O death where is thy sting, O grave where is thy victory?

To the Editor of the Christian Spectator.

SIR,

The following sermon by the late Rev. THOMAS SCOTT, appeared in the Christian Observer for May,which has not, I believe, been yet published in this country. It would doubtless gratify all your readers to have it printed in your magazine. The person who communicated it for insertion in the former work, stated in his letter to the Editor, that the opinions, sf Mr. Scott "on most theological subjects are well known to the public through the medium of his various writings, and especially his valuable commentary. I have, however, thought that it would not be uninteresting to your readers, and especially to the younger members of the sacred profession, to learn the views which occupied his mind at an advanced period of his life, relative to Vol. 3.-No. VIII. 51

the arduous duties and responsibility of the ministerial office. For this purpose I transcribe the following sketch of a sermon delivered by him before a society of clerical friends in the church of Aston Sandford, on Thursday evening, June 25, 1818, as taken down in short-hand by a friend who was present on the occasion.

"The circumstance of its not having been a written composition, and of this being only a short-hand sketch, will account for occasional abrupt ness, and want of literary polish; but such defects will be readily forgiven by all who know how to value the scriptural accuracy of its doctrines; the earnest boldness of its appeals; the appropriateness and fecundity of its biblical citations and references; and the rich vein of piety, humility, and true Christian eloquence which runs throughout it. I am very sure. that I risk nothing of the reputation so justly acquired by Mr. Scott's excellent writings, in exhibiting this specimen of one of his discourses in his seventy-first year, spoken without any view to publication, and indeed without any knowledge that the words uttered at the moment were to be fixed in the substantial form of a written document."

F.

2 Cor. ii. 16. Who is sufficient for these things?

My brethren, I feel my text, and I fear I may have done wrong in attempting to address you to-night; but I pray God to help me, and I beg of you to pray for me.

The Apostle speaks, in the verses connected with my text, of "a triumph in Christ," and a "savour of the knowledge of Christ being made manifest in every place." "For we are a sweet savour unto Christ (he adds) in them that are saved, and in them that perish; to the one we are the savour of life unto life, and to the other the savour of death unto death." He then exclaims, in the words immediately before us, "Who is sufficient for these things?" and proceeds

to say, "For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God, but as of sincerity, but as of God, speak we in Christ." Even in the Apostles' days, we see that there were many false teachers who acted like dishonest vintners, who debase their wine with some unwholesome mixture. They dilute it, and deprive it of its real strength, and then to keep up its appearance and spirit, add some poisonous ingredients. The liquor still looks like wine, and tastes somewhat like it, and the fraud is not easy to be detected; but instead of being a medicine, it is in fact a destructive poison. Thus false teachers act with the Gospel. They preach many truths, but they covertly either leave out some essential part of Christianity, or put in some material error of their own. Men not established in the faith do not understand the difference; they know some of the doctrine is good, they take the whole of it to be consistent with the Gospel, and they follow it without suspicion to their own ruin.

"Who, then, is sufficient for these things?" This is our subject; but I shall also take some notice of the beginning of the following chapter, "We are not sufficient of ourselves, to think any thing as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God." Let us then consider,

I. "These things."

II. Who we are that are employed about them.

III. The effect these reflections should have, not to dismay us, but to humble us, and to teach us that "our sufficiency is of God."

IV. I shall conclude with some practical addresses to different classes of hearers.

I. Let us consider "these things;" that is the preaching of the uncorrupted word of God-the discharge of the duties of that ministry which is a savour of life unto life, or of death unto death.

To this end consider, (1st,) What the Holy Scriptures speak of ministers; (2d,) What they say to them,

(1st,) We are to be accounted min

isters of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.-A minister is a steward of the unsearchable riches of Christ; a steward, not of some great personage on earth, as we read of the steward of Joseph's house, and of Eliezer the steward of Abraham's, but the steward of Christ himself; a steward, not as to some subordinate duties in the house, but as to the highest parts of the office of the mysteries of God-of the peculiar and distinguishing doctrines of Christ Jesus.

We are Watchmen. “Son of man, I have set thee as a watchman, to the house of Israel; give them warning from me." Who then is sufficient for these things? Men wish us to speak smooth things to them, and they complain of our roughness and zeal; but no one thinks gentleness and soothing behaviour the characteristic excellence of a watchman, who is to sound the alarm, to be always on his guard, to awaken those who are asleep in the midst of danger; and who, if he do not do all this, is accountable for all the consequences. "If thou give not warning, the wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand."

We are Ambassadors, not from some earthly prince, but from the great God of heaven. Some object to this word being used of ministers in the present day, and would confine it to the Apostles. Well, let then call us envoys, messengers, servants, or any lower name; it is the same thing; the honour arises not from the person who is sent, or the name he bears, but from the majesty of the King of kings who sends him.

We are Fellow-workers with God, his humble instruments and co-operators in the great work of salvation, whilst the wicked are fellow-workers with the devil in promoting the destruction of souls.

We are also Workmen generally: and it is our duty to be approved of God as such, as workmen that need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

We are to be wise master-builders.

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