deliver," whether any will hear, or whether all will forbear;" he is directed to "cry aloud, and spare not, to lift up his voice like a trumpet"+-to charge home the guilt of sin upon the consciences of all those whose consciences are asleep, as well as to ease the burden from the shoulder of those that are heavy laden-to strike conviction and terror into the careless and the fearless, as well as to impart peace to the sorrower, and consolation to the broken-hearted-to smite with that "two-edged sword that pierceth even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart,"§ as well as to bind up those that are wounded, and to preach good tidings to the meek.|| "He that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the Lord." What is the word of man, compared to the word of God? What are the externals of human rhetoric and poesy, compared to the solid, the solemn, the soul-searching truths of the Law and of the Gospel? "Sanctify them through thy truth," prayed our blessed Saviour in behalf of his disciples; and then he added, "Thy word is truth."¶It is the Truth, therefore, and the truth of the word of God only, * Ezek. ii. 5. Ps. lxxxi. 6; Matt. xi. 29, 30. + Isa. lviii. 1. § Heb. iv. 12. ¶ John, xvii. 17. that can be expected to avail any thing, or to avail all that is required, in effecting so great and difficult a work as that of turning the heart of man truly unto God. But "How shall they hear without a preacher? and how shall they preach unless they be sent ?"* And if they be sent, of what use will their preaching be, unless they preach the preaching that He bids them ?" He that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the Lord." Having, then, thus premised a few words, 1. Respecting the peculiar and paramount excellence of the Word of God over every conceit and imagination of man; and, 2. Pleaded with you the solemn duty which is bound upon every Minister of God's word to preach that word faithfully; 3. I request now to draw your attention to the expressions and similitudes which are made use of in the text, (and commonly throughout the Bible,) and to which both the word of God itself, and also the object for which it is designed to be of use, are compared. (1.) And, first of all, in the passage of our text, the word of God (that is, the doctrine of God, as * Rom. x. 14; Ps. lxviii. 11. + Jonah iii. 2. contrasted with the word or doctrine of man) is compared to wheat: "What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the Lord." Again, it is compared to a fire, and also to a hammer. "Is not my word like as a fire, saith the Lord, and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces ?" (2.) On the other hand, if we inquire what are the objects, or what is the object, for which the word of God is designed to be of use, we reason thus: That if the word of God is compared to a fire, and to a hammer which breaketh the ROCK in pieces; then the rock which is broken in pieces by it must signify that thing, whatever it be, which it is the object of God's word to act upon; and that thing is, we know, no other than the human heart,—the hard, the proud, the self-willed, selfish, human heart. This is the rock that must be broken in pieces by the fire and by the hammer of the word of God, and which nothing else but the word of God can or will break in pieces ;—and the reason why it must be broken in pieces is, that because if the heart of man does not become broken and contrite, the soul of man cannot be saved. If a man's natural evil disposition does not become utterly changed, he is not only useless, but hateful, and nigh unto cursing, and whose end is to be burned and destroyed without remedy. "For," as our blessed Lord declares, "out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, false witness, blasphemies, and the like; all which things defile and destroy a man :"* whereas, on the other hand, we are also told that "with the heart man believeth unto righteousness :"+ so that the same heart, in the same man, must have become changed before it can do this great thing of " believing unto righteousness." It is written, moreover, in another place, "A broken and a contrite heart, thou, O God, wilt not despise." And again, in another place, it is most encouragingly offered, "I will take away the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh."§ Thus, then, with regard to whatsoever similitude the word of God is compared in Scripture, the heart of man has also a corresponding similitude for itself. When we read in the language of St. Peter, || of being "born again by the word," we understand that some new and living principle has taken possession of the heart by means of hearing and reading the word of God. When, again, we are enjoined, as "new-born babes, to desire the sincere milk of the word, that we may grow thereby," *Matt. xv. 19. Ps. xxxiv. 18; li. 17. || 1 Pet. i. 23. + Rom. x. 10. Ezek. xi. 19. I 1 Pet. ii. 2. we understand that we are admonished to take a heartfelt pleasure in being instructed in heavenly things. When we read again, in the language of David, "Oh how sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth;" * or when we read of our blessed Redeemer (who is pre-eminently called by the Evangelist "the Word of God") professing himself to be the "bread of life," and that his "flesh is meat indeed, and his blood drink indeed," we understand that it is a precious, dear, and divine adaptation of kindly supply to the necessity of our otherwise weak and perishing natures. And as, moreover, bread is derived originally from wheat, so, both in the passage of our text, and various other places, but especially in the beautiful and instructive Parable of "the Sower who went forth to sow," the seed, or grain of wheat, is made use of to represent the word of God; and the various kinds of soil, into which the wheat is cast, represent the different kinds of hearers, the different dispositions of men, who receive the word of God into their ears. And now, brethren, allow me more particularly to draw your attention to this fact of the different kinds of soil. We are told in that parable of the Sower, that some seed fell upon good ground; and the good + Matt. xiii. * Ps. cxix. 103. |