Obrazy na stronie
PDF
ePub

means of grace? It pleases the Most High GoD oftentimes to reveal himself to the sons of men when they are attending the ministry of his word. They have been brought to repentance under the sermon of a minister, whose doctrine they rather came to ridicule than to respect. The word has reached the heart and turned the stone to flesh; they have thrown down the weapons of their rebellion, and weeping as they looked upon those weapons, they have acknowledged the force of all conquering mercy. But the Apostle Paul at the time of his conversion was not only not asking for mercy, he was not in the way of asking it-he was neither hearing, nor reading, nor praying. He could not probably at any time have been more unprepared to receive any manifestations of the Divine regard.

He was engaged in a journey of iniquity; in open defiance of the Son of God, crucifying him afresh, and putting him to an open shame. He had received letters from the High Priest, the highest authority of the Jewish people, to go to the synagogue at Damascus; that if he found any of the disciples of Christ, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. "And he went forth breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord." I can conceive no representation more strikingly descriptive of a mind abandoned to the fiercest extremes of persecuting rage; "breathing out threatenings and slaughter," as the panting of a beast of prey; and truly no savage beast of prey is so savage as a persecutor; no hyena of the desert is so malignant as the malice of that carnal mind which is enmity against God. Saul also, it is said,

[blocks in formation]

had been by no means sufficient to satisfy his revengeful spirit. His cruelty to the disciples of the Lord seemed to be heightened as he proceeded. What was probably at first only a warm attempt to protect the religion of his forefathers from the encroaching zeal of the Christians, seemed really to have been exasperated into an unmitigated thirst for the wastefulness of Christian blood. His very subsistence appeared to depend on the gratification of his rage. His sword was always kept unsheathed; and he had a fierce satisfaction in forcing the poor Christians to taste the last dregs of the cup of bitterness which he placed before them. But, brethren, I cannot dwell on the dark story of the wrongs and wretchedness, which the church of church of Christ for a while endured at the hands of Saul of Tarsus. I cannot go into the detail of what wereadily may conceive to have been his merciless and unpitying indiscriminate barbarity. Let it suffice to tell you, then, that multitudes of pious and peaceful believers, both men and women, were driven from their homes and families ; hunted like wild beasts, persecuted even unto strange cities; punished oft in every synagogue; compelled even to blaspheme, and at last sent down with violence and butchery to the grave.

No wonder, then, that Saul of Tarsus became the theme of universal apprehension. Every little village, in which were faithful followers of the Lamb, lived in constant dread of him. He was an evil that walked in darkness, and a destruction that wasted at noon-day. For about noon it was on the day of his marvellous, memorable, and miraculous conversion, (miraculous in point of manner and circumstance, though not miraculous in point of principle) as he made his journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus, he saw in the way a light from heaven,

[ocr errors]

stance in all his previous life had power to do. He had witnessed the martyrdom of Stephen when he was a

peculiarly befits the young-he had heard, without emotion, that dying prayer-" Lord, lay not this sin to their charge:" he had seen pourtrayed in Stephen's countenance that powerful and serene tranquillity which swallowed up the agony of a cruel death. All this he had seen, and yet remained unmoved! but the moment Jesus laid his finger on his heart, it melted. Trace, then, the sequel of this in

above the brightness of the sun, shining round about him and them that journeyed with him. He dropped to the ground trembling and astonished-young man-and tenderness of spirit and heard a voice speaking unto him and saying in the Hebrew tongue, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the prick." The very first question, which the suddenness of this arrest prompted his agitated spirit to ask, was-"Who art thou Lord?" "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest." It was that very Saviour whose humble disciples had been so outrageously assailed, who now stopped short the persecutor interesting history. His heart is changhis career of vengeance. And with what array of majesty was the Redeemer seen to make his appearance? Did the lightnings flash, or the thunders roll, to bespeak the presence of the incarnate God? No, although the all-gracious Saviour descends from heaven low enough to be visible, yet no terror clothes his brow. proaches near enough to be heard, but his words are not spears and arrows, neither be they very swords. His language is not-"O thou child of the devil"-" I have found thee, O mine enemy." No, nothing but the most tender expostulation. "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" For three and thirty years I lived in thy nation-I went about constantly doing good-I opened the eyes of the blind -I unstopped the ears of the deaf-I gave feet to the lame-health to the diseased-and life to the dead. I am Jesus whom thou persecutest, the Saviour of others and of THEE.

He ap

The blow which his vindictive temper now received was fatal: he instantly falls a victim to the agonies of a wounded spirit. All the wrath of the persecutor is gone; all the pride of the Pharisee is gone; and the whole fabric of his self-righteousness is struck to the ground for ever. One word

from Jesus did that which no circum

ed. Behold he prayeth; and consecrates the remainder of his life to the service of His Redeemer. Faith now takes that place in his heart which formerly was held by unbelief, and love succeeds to rage and malice. The lion is turned into a lamb, and a little child may lead it. The persecutor becomes an Apostle. He is straightway in the synagogue, and preaches the faith which once he destroyed. Now, brethren, consider only the journeys, which after this memorable event he took-the sufferings he endured-the sermons he delivered— the epistles he wrote, and the churches he planted: hear him, at the close of a life the most laborious and unexampled, exultingly exclaiming—“ I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand,"-consider, I say, all this, and then conceive what the Apostle must have felt whenever he uttered the expressions of the text, "BUT I obtained mercy."

But I hasten to the THIRD part of the subject. AND WHAT A GLORIOUS DISPLAY IS Herein made OF THE DIVINE CHARACTER.

Paul obtained mercy in spite of all his rebellion. The very form of his expression in the text throws us back on the words which immediately precede it "who was before a blasphemer,

and a persecutor, and injurious; but I obtained mercy." ." Had we beheld his unchecked fury, his exceeding madness against the disciples of Jesus, we should assuredly have said, that if there were heavier chains, or a deeper dungeon in the world of woe, they would certainly be reserved for such an implacable enemy of true godliness. And yet, brethren, I charge you to admire the inexhaustible richness of the grace of God-even this man, this Saul of Tarsus, is admitted into the goodly fellowship of the prophets, is numbered with the noble army of Martyrs, and makes a distinguished figure in the glorious company of the Apostles.

[ocr errors]

And if you ask why all this was-the Apostle himself shall tell you. "For this cause," says he, I obtained mercy, that in me, first-not first in order of time, but first in rank, first in guilt, first in eminence as a sinner -in me who have sinned more daringly than others-who stand foremost in the list of desperate offenders—in me, Jesus Christ might shew forth all long suffering"-such long suffering as none but a God can shew-an obstinacy of kindness opposed to an obstinacy of transgression-" for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting!" Oh, brethren, what a verse is this! And what a sermon might be preached on this verse, if only our hearts were in it as they ought to be! But blessed be our GOD! This is not the only display we have of this lovely attribute of mercy. St. Paul is not the only trophy of forgiving goodness.

Go and look at Manasseh-that monster of barbarity-that youthful adept in all iniquity-read over the record of the atrocious wickedness which marked his earlier years. Behold him as soon as he had succeeded to the throne of Judah, tearing down that goodly structure of national reli

gion and happiness, which the piety and zeal of his excellent father, Hezekiah, had just brought to perfection; forsaking the worship of Jehovah, in which his holy father had so carefully instructed him; setting up an image of Baal in that very part of the sanctuary, wherein Jehovah had fixed his peculiar residence; devoting his own children to the heathen gods, causing them to pass through the fire to Moloch; putting to death an immense number of the Lord's prophets; shedding innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; causing even the venerable and evangelical Isaiah, who had been his father's friend and counsellor, to be

sawn asunder," as an example of peculiar vengeance; and, in short, not only multiplying to an extravagant degree his own sacrilegious impieties, but poisoning the principles, and perverting the manners of his subjects; making them do worse than the most detestable of heathen idolaters.

But even this haughty rebel was subdued; the Assyrians invaded the land; Manasseh was taken prisoner, deprived of his kingdom, and led captive to Babylon. His imprisonment, under the blessing of GOD's Holy Spirit, awakened him to reflection. He saw and confessed the baseness of his former life, and cried unto God for mercy; that mercy, which is vouchsafed to all who seek it in the way of GOD's appointment, was granted to Manasseh; and he, who had once exhibited as sad a specimen, as ever was exhibited of the desperate depravity of the human heart, became a child of forgiving love, and an heir of immortal glory.

Then, brethren, look next at the case of the Corinthian church. I need not tell you that the inhabitants of Corinth were proverbially abandoned and corrupt. Some of them indulged in such abominable vices, and habi

tuated themselves to such outrages and | racter-drag Him before a heathen

acts of injustice as were a reproach to human nature. And yet, even these sons of violence, and slaves of sensuality, were washed, were sanctified, were justified. They were washed in the precious blood of a dying Redeemer; sanctified by the powerful operations of the blessed Spirit; and justified through the infinitely tender mercies of a gracious GOD. Those, who were once the burden of the earth, are now the joy of heaven, and the delight of angels. But the time would unquestionably fail to tell of all the triumphs of redeeming mercy. I will only mention, therefore, one other instance in Scripture, which most loudly publishes that sweetest of the Divine names, "The LORD, the LORD GOD, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving ini. quity, transgression, and sin." It is an instance which exceeds not only all that I have mentioned, but all that can be imagined; and which, if I were to be so careless as to forget it, the very stones might cry out and sound it in my ears. I mean the case of those who murdered the Prince of Peace and Lord of Glory. If any sinners were unpardonable, we may surely think these were. If any transgressors deserved to be consigned to irrevocable wrath and the severest torments, these did. They had not the shadow of an excuse for their crime; hardly a single circumstance to extenuate their guilt. They had been well acquainted with the exemplary conversation of Jesus of Nazareth; they had often heard his heavenly doctrines; they were almost daily witnesses of his unequalled miracles. They had, therefore, all possible reason to honour Him, as the most illustrious of beings, and to receive His Gospel as the most inestimable of blessings. And yet they seize his person-asperse his cha

[ocr errors]

tribunal and extort a sentence of death against innocence and holiness itself. Never was the vilest slave so cruelly treated, nor the most criminal malefactor so barbarously executed. The sun was confounded—the earth itself trembled at the horrid scene; and we wonder much how the avenging lightnings could withhold their flashes. But, behold the triumphant goodness of GoD our Saviour! Many even of these murderers obtained mercy; for, at the subsequent descent of the Holy Spirit, they were convinced of their sins, were wounded with penitential remorse, fled to the sanctuary of the cross, and received a full, free, and eternal pardon. And now are they shining in the kingdom of heaven as so many everlasting monuments of exuberant mercy, and are receiving blessings past utterance from that very Redeemer, whom, once, with wicked hands they crucified and slew.

Well, then, might the prophet cry out with rapturous amazement, "Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by transgression." Truly may it be said that He is plenteous in mercy, that He is rich in mercy, that He keepeth mercy for thousands, that His mercy is from everlasting to everlasting; that it is even greater than the heavens, and more extensive than the dimensions of the sky. Brethren, have ye ever dwelt for an instant on the thought, that the mercy of God is greater than the heavens? Lift your eyes to that azure canopy spread over your heads, embroidered with radiant stars, and spacious enough to form a covering for unnumbered worlds. Where does it begin? Where does it end? What is its extent? If you are yourselves unable to answer these questions, carry them to angels. They are perpetually going this immense circuit; and yet, even angels cannot measure the bounds of space-because

that space is boundless and unknown. What then shall we say of "the mercy of GOD," which "is greater than the heavens?" which pardons crimes the most atrocious, and with perfect freeness; because of the Redeemer's Mediation: yea, pardons them more rea. dily, if it were possible, than the widespread arch of heaven covers within its circuit, a ridge of mountains, or even a single grain of sand. Let all flesh know assuredly, let all flesh rejoice greatly, that with the Lord there is such mercy, and with his Christ such plentiful redemption. Oh! for the voice of an archangel to circulate the glad tidings throughout the worldthat, through the infinitely great propitiation of the adorable Redeemer, all manner of sin, barbarity, and blasphemy are forgiven unto men.

And if these things be so, brethren, let me, in CONCLUSION, address a few words to you.

And my First remark is this the subject we have been considering speaks with a voice of power to you who have obtained mercy. It calls upon you to review the grace that has been bestowed upon you. It bids you remember where you were, and what you were, when you first obtained mercy. "Hearken to me, then, ye that follow after righteousness; ye that seek the Lord." Look unto the rock whence ye were hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye were digged." Retrace in your memory the circumstances of your conversion to GOD. Look back on the rise and progress of religion in your soul. Call to mind the original deadness of your heart to spiritual things; when you neither saw nor felt that you were a lost and miserable sinner ready to perish; having no strength and no goodness of your own; and must be saved, if saved at all, by the abundant mercy of GOD in Christ Jesus. Compare your state then with your state now. Re

collect how the Lord found you, when you sought Him not, and brought you by a way that you know not, and led you in paths that you had not known; and made darkness light before you, and crooked things straight. These things He did unto you and has not since forsaken you. Notwithstanding your many provocations, He has not been weary of doing you good. He still bears with you; still accepts you; still treats you with kindness; still designs your never-ending happiness. And surely you cannot think on all this unmerited mercy, on all this undeserved, spontaneous goodness to you, and not call upon your souls and all that is within you to "bless His Holy name; who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; and crowneth thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies."

But you will observe, Secondly, from this subject, that no man can be saved but on this principle of mercy. If, then, brethren, you die without obtaining mercy, your souls are placed in peril-you are lost for ever. There is only one of two principles on which any human being can be saved-the principle of merit, or the principle of mercy. But the principle of merit will

not do. The law of our God requires perfect, unsinning obedience, and it must require perfect obedience, because it is a perfect law; and it must be a perfect law, because nothing but perfection can emanate from perfection. The law of GOD must be perfect as the nature of GOD. If then, after having the alternative fairly proposed to you in the Gospel, of appearing at the bar of GOD in the merits of your own obedience, and being tried by it, or on the merits of Christ's obedience, and being blessed by it, how will you be dealt with, if, putting away all dependence on Divine mercy-or what is equally dangerous, blending your dependence on the Divine mercy

« PoprzedniaDalej »