THE PUBLICAN'S PRAYER. What was the cry which louder rang A rebel, wandering soul from Thee! What was the prayer which angels caught, Which sheath'd the sword which justice wrought, It was a lowly sinner's prayer, O'erwhelmed by guilt, remorse and care- Tormented by guilt's agony! What was the tear which wip'd away It was the publican's big tear Which wet his cheek with shame and fear Have mercy-mercy LORD on me! A sinner pierced with misery! What was the faith which sun-light shone Which, when all other hopes had flown, It was the penitent's calm trust Such be the cry and prayer of all! What though our bodies melt to dust, J. G. THE RIGHTEOUS FLOURISHING: A Sermon BY THE REV. JOHN GRIGG, RECTOR OF TRINITY CHURCH, ATHENS, GREENE COUNTY, N. Y. Psalm xcii. 12.-" The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree." WERE a certain king to pardon his rebel subjects on condition that they would lay aside their arms and yield to his authority; were he further pleased to accept their sincere repentance in lieu of perfect obedience, and regard them in the light of those who had never revolted from his service, it is plain that his acceptance of their duty was a mere act of undeserved mercy, which merely considered as obedience what was only a feeble endeavor to attain it. Previous to original sin, righteousness was the perfect conformity of man to the revealed will of JEHOVAH, for in the image of GOD created he him. But now, being all of us rebels against him, and morally unable to keep the Divine precepts, he has extended to us all the promise of reconciliation provided that we submissively return to our allegiance, and strive by the aid of his grace to conform to the requirements of his Gospel. As the faith of Abraham was counted unto him for righteousness, although his character was polluted by much infirmity and error, so the Gospel proclamation declares that faith in the atonement of JESUS CHRIST, accompanied by sincere though imperfect obedience, justifies all his followers, and entitles them to the appellation of holy and righteous persons. Therefore, declares St. Paul, being justified by faith, we have peace with GOD, through our LORD JESUS CHRIST. Now this reckoning of JEHOVAH must be just, for, since the righteousness of man is the conformity of his will and passions to the particular law which he is under, so if the judge who has competent authority sees fit to adapt his laws to the imperfection of his creatures, and decide that they have conformed to their observance, though in many respects they have fallen short of them, they may be truly regarded righteous, who submit to that standard. They are considered so, in accommodation to their fallen and depraved powers which are morally incapable of obeying a perfect law, and hence they who rely supremely on the sacrifice of the Savior, and love and serve him with all their hearts are accounted righteous before God by virtue of the Mediator, and not their own works or deservings.* Thus, though there is none righteous, no, not one, as it respects their entire conformity to the laws of heaven, yet as all may be considered so who submit to the Gospel plan of salvation, we perceive that it is only in accommodation to human weakness, and that it is only owing to the free, unmerited grace of JEHOVAH. The righteous, then, are not those who never sin, who never deviate by infirmity from the pure and perfect way, for such alas, exist not in the world. But they are those only who ingenuously perform all their duties to GOD, themselves, and their fellow creatures, and with contrite hearts ascribe their sole merit to him who has loved them and washed them in his own blood. Thus their virtue consists in integrity of heart and life, receiving from the Savior, as the earth from the sun, all their light, warmth and fertility. Now nothing more fitly and beautifully characterizes the righteous than the palm tree, of which the Psalmist speaks in the text, both as it regards their qualities and the blessings which attend them. THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL FLOURISH LIKE THE PALM TREE. In what respects, then, do the pious resemble this tree, and how may it be said that they shall flourish like the palm tree? There are three singular properties of this tree in which they may be compared to the righteous. I. In their usefulness. II. In their resistance to external calamity, and III. In their duration. I. The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree in their usefulness. *See XI. Article of the Church. The works of GOD not only manifest his power, wisdom, and benevolence, but illustrate the laws and doctrines of Divine revelation. That certain qualities of animal and vegetable nature should typify and explain the operations of mind and providence; that the air we breathe-the light and comforts we enjoy, should be significant of correspondent gifts to the soul, would be folly in the extreme, unless they were modes of teaching which our limited faculties require. As the mirror reflects and softens down the dazzling rays of the sun, so the works of creation reflect the glory of Divine truth and enable the soul to comprehend their wisdom. Thus the palm tree illustrates the usefulness of the righteous. While other trees are distinguished by their devious trunks, this tree shoots perpendicularly upward to a considerable height, and thus resembles the pious mind, whose inclinations and pursuits ever tend toward heaven. Even Mahomet could say of the geneorus man; "he stands erect before his Lord: in every action he follows the impulse received from above, and his whole life is devoted to the welfare of his fellow creatures." Rearing its stem, and diffusing its refreshing shade in dreary solitudes, where nothing else can be found to shelter the exhausted traveller, how beautifully does this tree exemplify the character of the Christian in the midst of a desert world, who, when nothing else can satisfy or refresh the weary spirit, becomes alone a refuge of solace and support! Bearing its branches only on the top, the palm tree diffuses thence a most grateful shade upon all who are below; and is it not in a similar manner that they who are enlightened and warmed by the spirit of Christian faith and charity, become a shade to the friendless, the destitute, and the afflicted? Their elevated principles, and heaven-born affections, like the palm tree's shade from the top, refresh many a weary spirit, and sustain many a desponding heart. They who refuse to become a shade to others, to exercise a liberal and philanthropic spirit wherever it is needed, forget that they live for others as well as for themselves. They forget that benevolence "blesses him that gives and him that takes,” that in proportion as we gratify others, we rejoice ourselves, and that none are more miserable than those who live only to themselves. As the palm tree is repaid for the shade it yields in the cultivation it receives from the grateful hand it blesses; so they who benefit the needy, often live under the shade of the very bounty they impart, or they enjoy an unspeakable delight in rendering the mourner happy, or they become the objects of those earnest prayers which their liberality has awakened in the hearts of others. The palm tree is noted for the abundance of its fruit. The powerful action of the sap is developed not only in thick umbrageous foliage, but in multitudes of flowers and dates. "The dates hung from these trees," says a learned traveller,* "in such large and tempting clusters, that we climbed to the tops of some of them, and carried away with us large branches with their fruit. Wherever," says he, "the date tree is found in these dreary deserts, it not only presents a supply of salutary food for men and camels, but nature has so wonderfully contrived the plant, that its first offering is accessible to man alone; and the mere circumstance," he observes, "of its presence in all seasons of the year is a neverfailing indication of fresh water near its roots. A considerable part of the inhabitants of Egypt, of Arabia, and of Persia," he continues, "subsist almost entirely upon its fruit. They boast also of its medicinal virtues. Their camels feed upon the date stones. From the leaves and branches are made an astonishing variety of domestic furniture and utensils; from the fibres of the boughs are manufactured thread, ropes, and rigging; from the sap is prepared a spirituous liquor; the body of the tree furnishes fuel; and from one variety of the tree meal has been extracted, and has been used for food." Are not thus the righteous pictured forth by this tree? They who "have put on CHRIST" abound in every good thought, word, and work, and remembering that they are the branches of the living vine, they yield much fruit of righteousness to the glory and praise of GOD. Are they not eyes to the blind, ears to the deaf, and feet to the lame? Who are readier than they to listen to the tale of distress, and, if unable to furnish temporal aid, to impart what is better, the treasures of feeling hearts? Is the Church of CHRIST in want of their assistance? * Dr. Clarke. |