A Goodly Heritage

"I will wait until my change comes." Job 14:14 If all that has been previously said will not stop men in their sins, I shall add little more. Only let me make this one warning to them—that they would remember their mortality and think seriously how soon death may come—and how terrible it will be to die in their sins! John 8:21. For this purpose, let them hearken to this death-watch in the text, "I will wait until my change comes." This book of Job treats much of death and mortality. Job looked upon himself as a man who was not long for this world. Job 17:1, "I am near death. The grave is ready to receive me!" And he loved to be walking often among the tombs—and so to familiarize himself with death. "I will wait until my change comes." "Until my change comes"—that is, until death comes. In the text there is: Job's resolution , "I will wait." The length of time he will w

"These shall receive greater damnation." Mark 12:40 I had thought to have stopped my pen here—but supposing the largest discourses of this nature are little enough to divert wicked people from their excesses, I have one word more to add—that if sinners have not lost their reason, they would be persuaded to reflect a little and consider seriously the damnableness of their state after this life—and lay to heart this text dropped from our Savior's own lips, "These shall receive greater damnation." I do not intend to meddle with the context —but shall take the words as they lie entirely in themselves. In the text there are three parts: A fiery furnace— damnation . The furnace heated hotter— greater damnation. The people for whom this furnace is doubly heated— These shall receive. Doctrine . The proposition I intend is this: There are some kinds of sinners who shall be more severely tormented in hell

"And when He [the Comforter] is come, He will convince the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." (John 16:8) When friends are about to part from one another, they are far kinder than ever they have been before. It was so with Jesus. He was going to part from His disciples, and never till now did His heart flow out toward them in so many streams of heavenly tenderness. Sorrow had filled their heart, and therefore divinest compassion filled His heart. "I tell you the truth, it is expedient for you that I go away." Surely it was expedient for Himself that He should go away. He had lived a life of weariness and painfulness, not having where to lay His head, and surely it was pleasant in His eyes that He was about to enter into His rest. He had lived in obscurity and poverty—He gave His back to the smiters, and His cheeks to them that plucked off the hair; and now, surely, He might well look forward with joy

Sin is the transgression of a law, yea of a good law, yea of God's law. Sin presupposes that there is a law in being, for where is no law there is no transgression (Romans 4.15). But where there is sin, there is a law, and a transgression of the law. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law, for sin is a transgression of the law (I John 3.4). That this is the sin intended in our text is apparent from Romans 7.7. Now the law not only forbids the doing of evil, whether by thought, word or deed, but also commands the doing of good. So to omit the good commanded is sin, as well (or ill) as is the doing of the evil that is forbidden. Against the fruit of the Spirit there is no law, but against the works of the flesh (for the antithesis holds) there is law, for they are all against the law, as the Apostle tells us (Galatians 5.19-24). Whatever, then, transgresses the law of God--in whole or in part (James 2.10)--is therefore and therein a sin, whether it break an affirmative

We were one day conversing with an unbeliever who lay on a bed of suffering and was murmuring against the God that made him. He put the question in an angry tone, “Where did this pain come from?” “From sin,” we answered. “But why should pain follow sin?” “Because God is a righteous God.” “How does that prove that where there is pain there must have been sin?” “Because a righteous God must punish what is wrong.” “Why must He?’ “Because if He did not the universe would go to pieces.” “How so?” “Just as a kingdom would go to wreck if the ruler did not punish evil doers, so the whole universe would go into disorder if God did not attach punishment to sin.” The sufferer thought a little, and then admitted that this was right, and that pain ought to be the consequent of sin, for the sake of preserving the universe in order and happiness. Again he asked,  “What do you mean by sacrifice, and why was it necessary?” “Because sin must be punished.” “What has that to do with sacrifice?” “Much eve

Blessed are they whose iniquity is forgiven, and whose transgression is covered. Blessed is the man to whom Jehovah imputeth no sin, and in whose spirit there is no guile. 1. Blessed are they whose iniquity is forgiven. This exclamation springs from the fervent affection of the Psalmist's heart as well as from serious consideration. Since almost the whole world turning away their thoughts from God's judgment, bring upon themselves a fatal forgetfulness, and intoxicate themselves with deceitful pleasures; David, as if he had been stricken with the fear of God's wrath, that he might betake himself to Divine mercy, awakens others also to the same exercise, by declaring distinctly and loudly that those only are blessed to whom God is reconciled, so as to acknowledge those for his children whom he might justly treat as his enemies. Some are so blinded with hypocrisy and pride, and some with such gross contempt of God, that they are not at all anxious in seeking forgiveness, b

"They rest not day and night." —Rev. 4:8. What a seeming paradox is this! We last contemplated Heaven under the beautiful and significant figure of a state of  rest —here it is spoken of as a state of  un rest!  "They rest"—"they rest not." It is what the old writers quaintly designate,  "The rest without a rest."  The combination of these two similitudes involves no inconsistency; they bring together two different but not antagonistic elements of  earthly  happiness, which will have their highest exemplification in the bliss of a perfect world. The emblem suggests TWO VIEWS OF A FUTURE HEAVEN— First, It is  a state of ceaseless activity in the service of God. Constituted as we now are, a condition of listlessness and inactivity is most inimical to true happiness. Indeed, if we can judge from the references in Scripture to the constitution of higher and nobler natures, we are led to infer that  activity  is a great moral law among the lo