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presence. (3.) The fear of his farther sufferings:-a violent, dreadful, and approaching death. (4.) The atoning for our coldness, and the painful foresight, with how much truth, those words of the prophet might be applied to many, "Is it nothing to you, all you that pass by?" During his agony he prayed more earnestly. He prayed earnestly before, but now more earnestly; before he kneeled, but now he threw himself prostrate on the earth. He prayed aloud, with strong cries and tears, Heb. v, 7. He was in an agony, every power of soul and body being stretched to the utmost. Those who never, or seldom pray, are strangers to spiritual conflicts.

The greatness of his agony, and intenseness of his prayer, caused that amazing circumstance "of his sweat being as it were great drops of blood." Amazing! because it was a cold damp night:-he lay on the dewy ground:-it was so profuse as to run down in great drops to the ground; the sweat was mixt with blood, bursting out of the capillary vessels through the open pores.

Observe, Adam sinned in a garden; in a garden Christ expiates his sin. Before death, "In the sweat of thy brow," &c, Gen. iii, before death, Christ sweat, and with all his body laboured. "In sorrow shalt thou bring forth;" Christ sweat blood, strong sign of pain. "Cursed is the ground," &c. Christ, when made sin and a curse, lies prostrate on the ground, and bedews it with blood.

Brethren, we must all be brought to an agony; yea, we must be crucified with Christ, if we would reign with him. Beware then of villifying the spiritual agonies of the children of God, by calling them mad fits. You who, in agony, have brought forth children, or struggled under the load of excessive drinking, or laboured for life when in danger, struggle and agonize now for your souls.

Learn to pray most, when most troubled-when weakest-when most tempted. Still look to the Lord Jesus-adore him-love him. Be not dry, like Gideon's fleece, in the midst of this sacred dew. 0 come for the answer of his prayer, It is thy balm, O Gilead, the precious ointment, which runs down to the skirts of his clothing! Wash away thy sin bathe in his bloody sweat; it is the former and the latter rain, bedewing prophets and apostles.

Let every believer remember, (and rejoice in the remembrance,) that sweat, pain, the earth, the grave, are sanctified: and let every stubborn unbeliever beware of the cry of his blood. It now cries better things: by and by it will cry bitterer things than the blood of Abel.

The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force, Matthew xi, 12.

THE grand device of Satan is to prevent us from seeing the necessity of this holy violence, or from putting it in execution. To prevent the effect of this stratagem, our blessed Lord gives us the plainest directions in these words: "Strive to enter in at the strait gate.' 99 "Labour for the meat that endureth to eternal life," &c, &c. But in no scripture is the direction more plain than in that of the text: "The kingdom," &c. Let us consider, I. The nature of this kingdom. II. How the violent take it by force. III. Answer an objection to the doctrine of the text.

This kingdom is that of grace, which brings down a heavenly nature and felicity into the believing soul. The kingdom within us is righteousness, and peace, and joy. It is Jesus apprehended by faith, as given for us; and felt by love, as living in us. In a word, it is the image of God lost in Adam and restored by Christ;-pardon, holiness, and happiness issuing in eternal glory.

This kingdom suffereth violence, which is offered, (1.) To those lords who reign over us,—the world, the devil, the flesh. These rebels must be turned out our own wills must be overcome, and ourselves surrendered up to God, as to our lawful and chosen sovereign. (2.) An humble, holy, sacred violence must be used in prayer, with Jesus, that he would open in our hearts the power of faith, apply the efficacy of his blood, and bestow upon us the spirit of prayer; or in other words the prayer of faith with the Father, that he would look through the pillar of fire, and discomfit all our enemies :-with the Holy Ghost, that he would take up his abode with us.

Of this violence we have an example in Jacob wrestling with the Angel, who said, "Let me go, for the day breaketh ;" and he said, "I will not let thee go till thou bless me," Genesis xxxii, 26. Here Jacob, being left alone, improves his solitude; danger and trouble work in him the right way. He prays, prays earnestly, and that against much discouragement. God and man seem to oppose him; for the Angel of the covenant wrestled as if to get loose from his hold. It was a spiritual wrestling; he wept and made supplication; but before he prevailed the Angel touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh, and hindered him from wrestling in his own strength. Then the Spirit alone made intercession; nature failed, and grace was conqueror. "When I am weak, then am I strong.' He says, "Let me go;" as God once said to Moses, "Let me alone:" thus does the Lord sometimes try our faith. This was the case of the woman of Canaan, when Jesus, at first, answered her not, and afterward said, "It is not meet to take the children's bread, and cast it to the dogs." But when she still worshipped, prayed, and waited, she obtained these words of approbation: "O woman, great is thy faith!" as well as the answer of her prayer. So the Angel said, "Let me go, the day breaketh ;"-thy affairs want thee;-thou must have rest; but Jacob foregoes all for the blessing,-rest, family, weariness, pain; and answers, "I will not let thee go, unless thou bless me." So must it be with us; none prevail but those who take the kingdom by violence. He conquers at last. "What is thy name?" saith God. He will have the sinner know himself, and confess what he is; then he gives the new name, "A prince with God. If God be for us, who can be against us?" The Angel does not tell him his name; for the tree of life is better than the tree of knowledge. "He saw God face to face and lived." So it is with faithful wrestlers: God resists only to increase our desires; and we must be resolved to hearken to nothing that would hinder. Weariness, care, friends, fear, and unbelief, must all be thrown aside when we seek to see God face to face, and to be brought into the light of life.

They who are weary of the Egyptian yoke of outward and inward. sin, who cannot resist without the love of Jesus, the life of God, at last become violent. They forcibly turn from the world; by force they attack the devil; bringing themselves by force before God; and drag

out, by strong confession, the evils that lurk within. Against these they fight, by detesting and denying them. Their strength is in crying mightily to the Lord, and expecting continually that fire which God will rain from heaven upon them. All this must be done by force and with great conflicts; for it is against nature, which hath the utmost reluctance to it.

The words of the text allude to the taking a fortified town by storming it; and this is of all military expeditions the most dangerous. The enemy is covered and hid, and those who scale the walls have nothing but their arms and courage. But can the wrestling soul overcome, can he take this kingdom? Ah! no, not by his own strength; but his Joshua will take it for him. God only requires that we should entreat him to do this; the prayer of repentance, the prayer of faith, storm Mount Sion, the city of God. He that is violent shall receive the kingdom of God,-justification and sanctification: but remember the violent take it by force. He shall have many a hard struggle with God's enemies, and it may be, many with the Lord himself, before he declares him conqueror.

Some object, "We have no might;" and to endeavour to take the kingdom by violence, is taking the matter out of God's hand: is it not better to wait for the promise, "Stand still, and see the salvation of God?" If you mean by standing still, not agonizing to enter in at the strait gate, not wrestling in prayer and fighting the good fight of faith; may God save you from this stillness! "You err, not knowing the Scriptures." The standing still there recommended is to possess your soul in patience, without dejection, fear, and murmuring. Stand still, as the apostles, who watched together in prayer, ran with patience the race set before them, and fought manfully, as faithful soldiers, under the banner of the cross. Any other stillness is of the devil, and leads to his kingdom. Search the New Testament and show me one standing still after he had been convinced of his wants. Did the centurion, did the woman of Canaan, did blind Bartimeus stand still? Did St. Paul, did the woman with the bloody issue stand still? Did not all of them use the power they had? I do not desire you to use what you have not; only be faithful stewards of the manifold grace entrusted to you. A kingdom, a kingdom of heaven is before you-power to reign with Jesus as his priests and kings. Stir up then thy faith; reach forward to the things which are before. Become a wrestling Jacob and you shall shortly be a prevailing Israel. Be not discouraged, for, as a good man observes, "God frequently gives in one moment what he hath apparently withheld for many years.'

Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee, Luke xii, 20.

LET us consider, I. Why our Lord calls the person mentioned in the text, fool,-Thou fool. II. The sudden and unexpected separation between this rich man and his all. III. The circumstance of the parti. cular time of his death,-This night. IV. Make some observations on the nature and value of a soul. V. Observe who shall require the rich man's soul, It shall be required. VI. Make some remarks on the last words of the text,-"Thy soul shall be required of thee.”

I. It is not without good reason that our Lord addresses the rich man in the text with, Thou fool. The picture our Lord has drawn of him hath eight strokes, each of which proves this worldling to have been an egregious fool.

(1.) He was rich in this world, but neglected being rich toward God, rich in grace. (2.) He was perplexed without reason, and exclaimed, "What shall I do! I have not where to bestow my fruits." Had he been wise, he would rather have cried out, with the jailer, "What shall I do to be saved?" or he would have inquired whether all the houses of his poor neighbours were full, and whether he could not bestow upon them some of those fruits, the abundance of which made him so uneasy. (3.) He determined to pull down his barns: not to break off his sins. The pile of them, though towering to heaven, like Babel, did not make him uneasy. (4.) He resolved to build greater barns; but forgot to build the hopes of his salvation on the Rock of ages, Matt. vii, 24. (5.) He would say to his soul, Soul, thou hast goods laid up: but had he been wise, he would have considered, that although he was rich as to his outward circumstances and the things which support the body, yet his soul was "poor, miserable, blind, and naked," Rev. iii, 17. (6.) He had the folly to promise himself a long life, as if he had a lease of it, signed by his heavenly Lord. "Soul," said he, "thou hast much goods laid up for many years:" but God said, "Thou fool, this night," &c. (7.) He would say to his soul, "Soul, take thine ease;" but had he been directed by wisdom, he would have exhorted his soul not to rest till he had obeyed the apostle's precept, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling," Phil. ii, 12. Alas! how common and how dangerous is the mistake of the children of this world, who openly follow this fool, and say either to themselves or one to another, "Soul, take thine ease; take care of being under any concern about salvation, there is no need of so much ado about religion and heaven." (8.) The last mark of the rich man's folly, was to say to his deluded soul, "Eat, drink, and be merry;" as if a soul could eat and drink, what money can procure or barns contain. No, my brethren: the grace of God, and the benefits of Christ's death, which are called his "flesh and blood, the bread of life, and the living water," are the only food and drink proper for our souls; and the true mirth and solid joy of a spirit, is that to which St. Paul exhorts us, "Rejoice in the Lord; and again, I say, rejoice," Phil. iv, 4. II. The separation between this rich farmer and his all was sudden and unexpected: "This night," said God, "shall thy soul be required of thee." This night, not so much as to-morrow is allowed him to dispose of those goods which were laid up for many years; he must suddenly, immediately, part with all. (1.) All his movable goods, except a winding sheet. (2.) All his landed estate, except a grave. (3.) All his barns, houses, and halls, except a coffin. (4.) All his friends and relations without exception. He must go this dismal journey alone and unattended. (5.) All his time, his precious time, which the living kill so many ways, and which the dying and the dead would gladly recover, by parting with a world, if they had it to part with. (6.) His soul, it is to

be feared.

Let us here reflect, how careful we are to secure our door, lest thieves should break in and take away some of our goods; and yet how careless

mato provide for death, which carries away all, or rather hurries us away fhifrom all at once! What an alarming thought is this for impenitent sinen aners! May their souls be required this very night? O let them not plot wickedness and contrive vanity against to-morrow.

GIII. The circumstance of the particular time of this rich man's death is very awful, "This night," not this day, "shall thy soul," &c. This beseems to imply four things.

li (1.) Darkness and horror, which chiefly belong to the night. Of this of we have striking illustrations, in the destruction of the first born of the the Egyptians, and of Sennacherib's army in Judea. (2.) Drowsiness and carnal security, illustrated in the opposite case of the foolish virgins, Matt. xxv. (3.) Sadness, in opposition to those nights which he had hr perhaps spent in debauchery and vain diversions. (4.) Sin and ignorance of the ways of God; which are called darkness and night, works of darkness, &c, in various parts of the Scripture.

O think upon this night of death, ye that forget God. How soon may it be here, to cast a veil upon your pride, and make it share the fate of Absalom's beauty, Jezebel's paint, and Saul's stature.

If this night of death is coming upon all! This night "when no man bcan work!" Let us follow our Lord's advice, "and work the works of God, while it is day," John ix, 4.

IV. How wonderful is the nature, how inestimable is the value of that soul, which was required of this fool; and which shall be required of us! How excellent is that noble, that neglected being, in itself! Spiritual, immortal, endued with the most glorious faculties, made after the very image of God!

How precious is it, as well as how excellent. It is a jewel of inestimable value, and its worth may be estimated, (1.) From the admirable texture of the body, which is only the casket where that jewel is placed. (2.) From the extraordinary pains which the sons of men take to repair and adorn the body, whose value depends only on the jewel it contains. (3.) From the testimony of Christ, who prefers one soul to the whole material creation: "What shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Matt. xvi, 26,

Suffer me then to entreat you, brethren, to bestow on your souls pains and care, in some measure, proportionable to their worth; at least, be not offended with us ministers, for showing some concern for the salvation of your precious, immortal souls.

V. Who shall require his soul? "Thy soul shall be required." The original word, araiti means, "They shall require." The question then offers itself, Who they are that shall require the unprepared worldling's soul?

I answer, (1.) Not Christ as a Saviour; for in that capacity he hath nothing to do with dying unbelievers. They would not receive his grace into their hearts, and he will not receive them into his glory, Prov. i, 24, &c. (2.) Nor good angels: we read, indeed, that they "carried Lazarus to Abraham's bosom," Luke xvi, 22: but the rich man found his way to the flames without them. (3.) Nor departed saints, who neither can nor will meddle with unregenerated souls. For this we may read the conversation between Abraham and the wretch who prayed to him for help, Luke xvi. Who then? (1.) Some unforeseen accident or

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