SERMONS BY THE " OLD PILGRIM," OF BIRMINGHAM. (Continued from page 24). SERMON IV. "Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice."-Psalm lxiii. 7. WHY is God my God? This is one of the most important questions a man can ask himself. What will the man of the world, the unbeliever answer? The general reply is, that God being the God of all men, therefore He also is my God! But is this the meaning of the Psalmist ? Was it thus that Christ, when a inan of sorrow upon earth, looked upon God as his God? Oh no! the Christian feels it is true; with holy thankfulness the common mercies in which he shares with all mankind; but he feels them, and enjoys them doubly; receiving them as common mercies, but sanctified to him by the covenant of everlasting love. He looks upon God as my God, because by being united in Christ he has a special interest in God; an interest which free and undeserved love decreed and resolved to give in Christ; a favour received by the blood of the righteous Jesus, in whom, and in whom alone he receives every covenant-favour; a favour brought home to his soul by the blessed Spirit, He working in the heart, giving the blessed witness of the Spirit. The Spirit's work is visible; it makes a man alive, who was dead; causes him to pant after God, after endeared communion with the Jehovah, he pants after the Lord, as a man who is athirst pants after water; his soul at times cannot rest without some token of God's love! And does this panting, this thirsting remain unsatisfied? No-no. The soul will, in God's own time, receive it! and finds God the Sanctuary of his soul, the Rest, the Hiding-place of his heart, there he is safe. all yea, and amen in Christ Jesus." He Ah, 1st. Thankful remembrance-" Because thou hast been my help." An unthankful being among man, is considered one of the worst of characters; and truly if a man's heart be not moved by kindness, it is hard to say what will do it; for force aud harshness, literally speaking, do not move, but bend the heart. If it be so, and justly so considered among men-ingratitude-looked upon as the blackest of crimes. Lord! what are we in thy most holy sight? thou who art loading thy people with blessings, with favours, daily, hourly, for time and for eternity. O, my God! what a monster of unthankfulness am I! and must I appear in thy sight? upheld by thy hand ever since I had existence; even ere I was born? Through helpless infancy, thoughtless childhood. giddy youth, careful manhood, declining age; in prosperity, and in adversity; in sickness and in health; when sinfully, wilfully wandering downward the road to everlasting destruction; when convinced of sin, righteousness, and judg ment; yet often sinning against light and The storms may roar, yea, thunders roll, Lightnings dazzle, rocks may move; conscience; oft forgetting the Lord that All on earth, yea, all in heaven, saved me, and upheld me, and led me May give way! yet God is Love! until this day; who raised me from the He experiences in the precious Re- brink of everlasting damnation, and deemer, that God's mercies of salvation placed me among the heirs of everlasting are better than life! Blessing! He glory! And yet, O my Father, Helper, praises! holy confidence has a seat in God, yet I wandered, yet I do wander, the heart the promise become the forgetful of thy daily, yea, hourly and Christian's anchor, because " they are everlasting mercies! My poor flesh, and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it, but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores." And ah! is this our state by nature? If so be, that ye have been taught by God the Holy Ghost, your answer will be, Yes indeed: but whilst such I am by nature, I thank my Lord that I feel holy gratitude arising within me; I feel his love precious, who, from the pit and the miry clay, drew me, and set my feet upon the Rock this body of death, stirred up by Satan, tempted by the world and lusts, oft is unthankfully murmuring. But shall all this cast us down? No-it will-if truly felt-cause the tear of sorrow to flow, the bosom will heave high, for grieving so merciful a God. But the soul that is taught of God, will, at the recollection of past mercies, be enabled by the Almighty Spirit to call forth holy thankfulness. On whatever occasion this song may have been written, it is a sweet one, teaching us that as our dear Lord, Heb. v. 7, In the days of the Rock Christ Jesus-there, there I his flesh, when He had offered up prayers stand! I desire to live upom Him alone! and supplications, with strong crying "For me to live is Christ." Did I seek and tears unto Him that was able to save Him? Oh no! When I was in my Him from death, and was heard in that blood, sin, guilt, and shame covering me, He feared. Though He were a Son, yet it was then that his powerful voice learned He obedience." So we, through reached my heart; it was then that untrials, troubles, and temptations, learn sought, unasked, nay, when I was as igobedient thankfulness. The Psalmist norant as a brute as to my state for sets forth the experience of one taught eternity, it was then that the Lord by Jehovah, following the steps of Him called me, and led me to see the awfullywho did help, the believer looks with corrupted state of body, and of soul, and holy thankfulness to Jesus; God had that He granted me faith to trust upon been his Help in his trial, before his my precious Lord our Righteousness, judges, in the awful sufferings in the gar- feeling the Spirit's work within, witden and on the cross, looking back to all nessing that I am a child of God, if a his former dealings, recollecting former child, then an heir, fellow-heir with Christ support, the Saviour cried out, "My Jesus, leading me by his own secret God, my God, why hast thou forsaken power (John iii. 8); teaching me simply me?" but soon added with holy power, to believe on Christ, to live upon Christ, "It is finished." Yes, dear Lord, in all know all in Christ, draw all from Christ, things thou wert obedient; and we lean- feed on the unknown riches of Christ, ing upon thy love, upon thy righteous- believe I shall eternally be with Christ, ness, would look back with thankful feel- then trace up all these mercies to the ings upon thy sufferings; taught by the ever-blessed Jehovah, take a view of Holy Spirit, we are enabled to say, He our own wretched, depraved heart; bedied for me! We are farther led with hold the pit from whence saved; and holy gratitude, to look back at all the surely you cannot (if the Spirit has enway the Lord has led us through the lightened you), you cannot but exclaim, wilderness, to review from our first re- "Because thou hast been my help, therecollections the warnings of conscience; fore in the shadow of thy wings will I for many of God's children have, with rejoice." It is under these feelings that me declared, that when very young, they you recollect and enjoy all God's provisometimes felt strong convictions. Idential mercies, all his favours, his prothink I recollect them as far back as my tecting care, boundless tokens of his 8th or 9th year. I have no doubt but love; holy thankfulness, fills thy soul they were the strivings of the Holy with holy joy and confidence, in encouragSpirit! Did we listen? No-but went ing you to look alone to the Great JEHŎon in sin; drowned our feelings in VAH, from whom every blessing flowgreater sin. And yet the Lord did bear eth; to hate sin more, and see it more with us, so that we have to say with the exceeding sinful; looking forward midst prophet, Lam. iii. 22, "It is of the Lord's all the trials and troubles of this life, and mercies that we are not consumed, be- through this checkered scene, to the cause his compassions fail not." Of the blissful moment, when your God and my Lord's mercies indeed! What else could" God shall wipe away tears from all have preserved us? Any thing in our faces," taking us unto Himself for ever selves? I know not what others may and ever. feel-but for myself-I know the truth of Isaiah, i. 5, 6, "Ye will revolt more (To be continued.) OLD JONATHAN AT SCHOOL. No, the lessons are not easier, nor does astonishing. Take, for example, Jonapractice or habit make School-work less than's last word. KINDNESS. He had toilsome or laborious. There is a reality been for weeks and weeks poring over about it. The burden cannot be shifted, this; and, as usual, could make nothing nor the drudgery avoided. Jonathan of it. There were moments, it is true, must be brought to the test. There when there appeared to be a little inmust be a coming up to the mark; and sight into it, and Jonathan felt as though the sooner his stubbornness is subdued, ready to be questioned upon the point; the sooner Old Jonathan knows what but speedily this would pass off, and calmness, and peace, and quiet are. There there was again a struggling in the dark. is a sentence in his school-book which Yet he knew withal there must be a climax. Jonathan now and then meets with, which His Master is a "God of order;" and, he longs to know more about, "Thou however patient and enduring, the leswilt keep him in perfect peace whose son given, sooner or later, must be learnt. mind is stayed on thee, because he trust-Moreover, the acquirement of that lesson eth in thee;" but Jonathan finds there must be tested. The Master never goes is a great deal to pass through before he by hearsay, nor teaches nor tries by subcan come to this. There are times-and stitute. Every scholar must pass under these for most part after seasons of his own eye, and every lesson undergo dread, if not dismay-when he knows his own revisión. Never did Master and feels the sweetness of this position. have so clear and comprehensive a knowHe would fain linger there. When his ledge of his every pupil. Their disposiMaster thus smiles, he has not the slight-tions-their qualifications-their attainest wish for School hours to be over, or to ments, are ever before Him in the clearclose his studies. There is no such attrac-est and most vivid way. Aud the Master's tions elsewhere; no outward drawing, exact adaptation of subjects to character no deeming lessons a bore! But there is and capacity is marvellous; and to a an interest in the work, and a love to and thoughtful student must, sooner or later, delight in the Teacher. It was upon excite both admiration and gratitude. this ground that Jonathan was pleased The one great principle that is so desirwith his last lesson. It was about JE-able with respect to the labours of this SUS! It was music to the ear, and touched a chord of the heart, which, though so hard and cold and thankless, was for the time overcome, and, in its enmity, rendered powerless. Selfish as he is, and so prone to seek his own way, Jonathan is never so happy as when he can forget himself in thoughts about his Lord and Master. And as none "teacheth like Him," even Old Jonathan is often struck with the wonderful wisdom as well as the astonishing patience and tenderness which He exercises. He opens the book-points out the lessons-and tells his old and troublesome pupil to go and get it off. With reluctant hand knitted brow-pouting lip, the crabbed old creature takes the book; and, completely overlooking the past, with all the love, and the grace and the mercy, that were hidden below the surface of what at first sight seemed dark and forbidding, he takes for granted that there is more of severity than sympathy in the lesson about to be submitted. This is so uniformly the case, that really the patience and the forbearance of the Master are School, is patience; and it is in this principle with regard to Old Jonathan that there is almost an absolute lack. Hence the nature of his lessons, and "the line upon line, and precept upon precept" course to which it is essentially necessary he should be submitted. Jonathan has sufficient insight into his own disposition to be conscious of this, and yet it does not render him the less impatient, fretful, and thankless. But to his lesson-KINDNESS. The course his Master was taking seemed anything but kind; and it was in vain that Jonathan entreated Him-yea, "with strong crying and tears"-that He would change his mode of procedure. He fell at his feet, and, like one desperate, besought Him to hear. If ever cries and entreaties seemed to burst from the heart, it was then. Every plea-every argument the strongest implorings, that could be broached, were brought forward; but no, all was a blank. The answer as far as appearances went, was a complete negative. He "shutteth out my prayer." was at least the mental conclusion. The G Sovereign grace o'er sin abounding, even the old and rebellious Jonathan was, as it were, absorbed in love, and blood, and salvation. He was wrapped up in the Divine embraces. He crisis must come. To the ordeal Old utterable KINDNESS! Ah, Jonathan unJonathan must submit. The Master derstood the word feelingly, experimenmust have His way, come what would totally, unmistakably then. It was light, Jonathan. This was clear. There was and glory, and peace, and joy, bursting in no help for it. Stepping aside, shifting and scattering to the winds of heaven the weight throwing off the yoke, were the previous mists and darkness. There all out of the question. There was a was a braving all dangers-a smiling at must in the case. There was a covenant all difficulties--and a falling at the feet "I will" and "Thou shalt." Well, the of one's Lord and Master in adoring crisis came nearer and nearer, until at wonder, love, and admiration. Even length the otherwise proud, self-willed, that miracle of mercy-that astounding haughty Jonathan "fell down, and there instance of was none to help." Oh, how true was that, " Again they are minished and brought low, through affliction, oppression, and sorrow; then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses." It were next to impossible that greater weakness could have been felt. There was not the strength of an infant. There was not the courage of a child. There was that want of "power" which only "the faint know, and that entire lack of "strength" which only those that have no might" can understand. It was a state of absolute nothingness; that crushed condition which would make the least glimpse of sympathy, or the veriest finger of help, unutterably welcome and endearing. The day-the hour-the moment came; but oh with it what condescension-what mercy-what tenderness-what unmerited, unmingled, un kissed him with the kisses of his mouth, and his love was better than wine." Under-otherwise the most dreaded of circumstances-Jonathan was "taken into the banqueting-house, and the banner over him was love." And, amid those precious communings, the question was put, "Shall I take thee home? Shall I break up School, and give thee to commence holydays indeed?" No, no, was the answer; but here let me stay, to see more, and speak more of that which -For such love Let rocks and hills their lasting silence break, SERMONS BY THE LATE JOB HUPTON. "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound."-Isaiah lxi. 1. THIS is the language of king Messiah. It is the Son of God, His equal, and the brightness of His glory; the express image of his person, and His utmost delight, who thus addresses us poor mortals. That I am not mistaken in this view of the words before me, you will see if you refer to the New Testament; Jesus went into the place where God was worshipped in Judea, and taking up the Book, the Bible without doubt, He rehearsed in the ears of the people, the words of the text, in substance, and applied them to Himself: "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.' God the Father, is by this same Prophet represented as calling our attention to his Son, in the following language, "Be hold my servant whom I uphold, mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon Him, He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles." Thus we see, both the Father and the Son testifying of the anointing of the Lord Jesus. It is from this anointing, He bears in the Old Testament the name Messiah; in the New Testament, that of Christ, Jesus Christ signifies, the Saviour anointed. God, in asserting the anointing of his Son, declares salvation, "He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles," or, as in another place, "unto truth," the substance of this promise is, He shall fulfil my designs, as to bring salvation to the Gentile world. In the text Messiah asserts his own anointing, "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon what is written in the text, the anointing of the Son of God in our nature, for the glorious end which He states so plainly. He was anointed, and sent by the Father with the good news of the everlasting Gospel. And what is the Gospel? It is this great matter of fact, that "God sent his Son into the world to save sinThe man Christ Jesus, is said to have ners.' God foresaw the fall of man, for all the fulness of the Godhead in Him- He beheld the end of all things from the self. The Father displayed Himself in beginning, so the Scriptures declare. He Him, in his character of love. "God is saw the fall of his own chosen family, love. When does this glorious fact appear? in the family of the first man. They Where would it appear to our view, must not perish, His sovereign love had except in Christ? Look around in the determined otherwise, that they might world, and you cannot see God as Love. not be banished, means were devised by You see Him in his power, you see infinite love and wisdom; means exactHim in his Wisdom; you see Him in ly suited to the case, and fully ensuring his providential works and providential the accomplishment of the meditated goodness, but you see Him not as love end. God would save, He would have his there. It is only in the face of the Lord people with Him, to behold his glory, and Jesus Christ, that you can read that cha-to enjoy Him for ever. The Lord put a racter of the eternal, there it shines forth in the utmost brightness. negative upon this, "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things We see the glory of God, in the face that are written in the book of the law, of Messiah, and beholding it by faith, to do them," but God will have mercy, we feel in measure, its blessed effects says the glorious Gospel. He sent his upon ourselves, and are transformed into Son into the world, according to His the same image from glory to glory, even eternal purpose to bring the mercy which as by the Spirit of the Lord. And when He designed. His beloved Son took we have a perfect view of this glory, our nature, took our place under the then shall we be fully transformed into the law, obeyed the law in every tittle, honlikeness of this blessed Lord, who says, oured it in the highest degree, and gave "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon it the most ample satisfaction that could me, because the Lord hath anointed me to possibly be. He answered for the transpreach good tidings unto the meek; Hegressions of those whom He came to hath sent me to bind up the broken-heart-save, put away their sins by the sacrifice ed, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and of Himself, and completed their meditatthe opening of the prison to them that ed salvation. are bound Those are glorious words, essential to your happiness and to mine, my fellow mortals, my fellow sinners. We have all sinned, not one can plead exemption from this charge; all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We have all sinned in our first parent, and we have all sinned in our own persons, the root of our nature was poisoned when Adam fell, and all the branches consequently partake of that which must be, but for that which is expressed in the text, our eternal ruin. Some persons say they cannot understand my doctrine; now my doctrine is not mine, that is, it is not of my invention, in one sense it is mine, and in another it is not; but I think you must understand what I have just asserted, that our nature was poisoned in the root, and that poison running through all the branches, must prove the endless ruin of all, but for I should have said their determined salvation, meditated, is too weak a term, it was absolutely determined. The law received full satisfaction in the personal obedience of Christ, and His personal sufferings, from those whom He represented. The Lord anointed Him to preach glad tidings to the meek, He did the work, and then He proclaimed it. When He said "it is finished," nothing could be more plain, more positive, more satisfactory. "It is finished." The law in every point is glorified, and eternal justice for ever satisfied, so that the flaming sword is no longer held out, but "if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." God is not merely merciful to forgive, but merciful and just too. It is here that mercy and truth are seen to meet together, and righteousness and peace to kiss each other. Blessed are the peo |