A Goodly Heritage

The word calls, but the Spirit draws, not severed from that word, but working in it, and by it. It is a very difficult work to draw a soul out of the hands and strong chains of Satan, and out of the pleasing entanglements of the world, and out of its own natural perverseness, to yield up itself to God,—to deny itself, and live to Him, and in so doing, to run against the mainstream, and the current of the ungodly world without, and corruption within. The strongest rhetoric, the most moving and persuasive way of discourse, is all too weak; the tongue of men or angels cannot prevail with the soul to free itself, and shake off all that detains it. Although it be convinced of the truth of those things that are represented to it, yet still it can and will hold out against it, and say, Non persuadebis etiamsi persuaseris—You shall not persuade me, even though you convince me. The hand of man is too weak to pluck any soul out of the crowd of the world, and to set it in amongst the select numbe...

The Old Testament is proved by the New. Christ divides the whole Old Testament into Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms; and thereby declares them all to be canonical, Luke xxiv. 44. That was then the usual way by which the Jews did divide the Old Testament. And here in the text Abraham sends Dives' brethren to Moses and the Prophets. And Christ, mentioning a place out of the Psalms, bears witness to the whole Old Testament under the name of" The Scripture:" "The Scripture cannot be broken," John x. 34, 35. And we find particular parts of the Old Testament proved in the New. In Matt. v., Christ confirms the Law of Moses, as to its divine authority, when he explains it; beside other places, in which he speaks of some particular laws. In Matt. xii. 38-42, and Luke iv. 25-27, and especially Heb. xi., the historical part of the Scripture is confirmed. And how many testimonies have we out of the Psalms and Prophets everywhere which do the same! The twelve lesser prop...

The height of this our Saviour’s glory will appear the more, if we reflect on the descent from which he ascended to it. Oh! how low did we bring down so high a Majesty, into the pit wherein we had fallen, by climbing to be higher than he had set us! It was high indeed, as we were fallen so low, and yet he, against whom our sin was committed, came down to help us up again, and to take hold of us, — took us on; so the word is, [ἐπιλαμβάνεται] Heb. ii. 16. He “took not hold of the angels,”—let them go, hath left them to die for ever—“but he took hold of the seed of Abraham,” and took on him indeed their flesh, dwelling amongst us, and in a mean part. He “emptied himself,” [ἐκενωσε], Phil. ii. 7. and became of no repute. And further, after he descended to the earth, and into our flesh, in it he became “obedient to death” upon the cross, and descended into the grave. And by these steps, he was walking towards that glory wherein he now is: “He abased himself; wherefore," says the apostl...

The grace of God that bringeth salvation, hath appeared to all men. Titus 2:11. Here are three blessed and glorious truths. They demand the constant attention of our minds: they tend to sink into the deepest humility of heart, to excite the greatest joy of spirit, and to inspire the most ardent love and gratitude of soul. (1st.) Salvation. This was the council of heaven; the work of the Son of God; the wonder of angels; the envy of devils, and the glory of apostate, rebellious sinners—sinners, who were born with enmity of heart, rebellion of will, and hatred of affections against God: and who have manifested the enmity of their mind by wicked works; the rebellion of their will, by taking arms against the Lord; and the hatred of their affections, by refusing to lay them down, and submit unto him. O that precious word! full of wonder, grace, and love; “God commendeth his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us; when we were enemies, we yet sinners, Christ ...

Isa. xxii. 13. Let us eat and) drink, for to-morrow we shall die. A strange argument. Approach of death usually mars the taste of pleasure. The handwriting on the wall, even when not known, marred Belshazzar cheer, Dan. v. This is a very miserable and sinful case. It springs from men's being ignorant of the true remedy, when they were sick of sin; and because all the physic and physicians they used and tried did them no good, they conclude their sickness is unto death. But let such know, that there is hope in Israel concerning this thing. Only come and see, and try what may be done. Beware of despair; it is the devil's sin, But he hath reason for it: for he is condemned; and all doors of hope are eternally shut upon him, or rather none was ever opened to him. But for a man that hath the riches of God's long suffering, forbearance, and patience, (Rom. ii. 4.), daily laid out upon him; that hath the door of grace set open to him, and the Lord calling, entreating, promising ...

In the hand of the LORD is a cup full of red wine mixed with spices; he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to its very dregs!" Psalm 75:8 It will help greatly to the right apprehension of this solemn subject, to notice that Christ is the speaker of these sober truths. They cannot, then, have been spoken harshly; they must have been uttered in all tenderness. This shall be in the day when He returns to judge the earth. It is He, meanwhile, who upholds all by the word of His power; He keeps the world from falling into ruin; He it is who sustains that blue firmament, as well as earths foundations, "I bear up the pillars thereof" — and were I to withhold my hand, all would tumble into ruin. Oh that an unthinking world would consider! Oh that fools would learn wisdom, and the proud fall down before their Lord. For the Judge shall surely come, with the cup of red wine in His hand — a cup of wrath, of which every rebellious one must drink to the dreg...

There was no breath in them.* — Ezek. xxxyti. 8. This scene has two aspects (it contains an event and a troth) : the prophetical, which specially points to Israel's restoration in the latter day ; the spiritual, pointing to the case of individual souls, or churches, or congregations. There are four stages presented to us : (1) The bone -heaps in the valley, 'very dry;' (2) The gathering and reconstruction of these bones ; (3) The clothing with flesh, sinews, and skin ; (4) The infusion of breath, or life. It is through the last of these that the living man is constituted; and without it there is but the picture or statue of a man. The 'breath' is manifestly the 'life,' communicated by the Spirit of life. This life may have different stages ; but wherever it is, there is a true and complete man. The disciples had life before our Lord breathed on them, but then they obtained more. They had life before Pentecost, but then they obtained more. It was life that...