66

is like that in which Naaman received the message of Elisha. Sometimes, like him, men take offence at the minister, because the means of salvation which God authorizes him to declare, are not such as they would themselves have expected. Behold, I thought, he will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper." Such foolishness might be somewhat excusable in Naaman, who did not know God, and imagined that it rested with Elisha to choose the means of recovery; but it is inexcusable in Christian persons, who know, or ought to know, that the Ministers of Religion have no power to speak either good or bad of their own mind, but plainly to teach the way of salvation, according to the rules and methods contained in the written Word of God.

Others again, like Naaman, find fault with the means of remedy, think scorn of, and despise the appointed methods of salvation, as being too insignificant. "How can the water of Baptism," one will say, "alter a man's condition, and make him a child of God, if he was not before?" "How can eating bread and drinking wine in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper," another will say, "be of service to a man's soul, and make him verily and indeed partaker in the body and blood of Christ?" "How can a man's sorrow and tears undo what is already done?" another will say: "and how," some impious tongues have been bold enough to say, "how can the death

of an individual upon the cross avail to take away the sins of the world?"

And

"Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean?" When such mad, wicked, and desperate thoughts as these are entertained, and men are inclined, like Naaman, to turn away, and lose their salvation, by refusing to comply with God's appointed means of obtaining it, how sweet to hear the voice of kind expostulation, like that of Naaman's servants, "My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? How much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash and be clean?" sweeter still, to see, when, by God's grace, such kind expostulation has its right effect; and the sinner is led, in humility and faith, to seek to avail himself of that way of restoration, which the mercy of God so kindly offers to him; that merciful and gracious way, "Wash and be clean.” "Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh came again, like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean." So let the Christian, in humility and faith, make use of the appointed means of restoring the soul to health of the waters of baptism, which admit to covenant with God; of the waters of repentance, which lead to amendment of life; of the blood of the covenant, received at the Baptismal Font; of the blood of the covenant received in the

holy Eucharist; by faith in God's mercy through Christ; and it will happen to him, in regard to the leprosy of his soul, like as it happened to Naaman, in regard to the leprosy of his body; his soul will be kept tender and awake, like the soul of a little child, and he shall be saved; for, as our Saviour Himself tells us," of such is the kingdom of heaven."

SERMON XVIII.

ON THE GIFTS OF GRACE.

66

JAMES i. 17-21.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of His own will begat He us with the Word of Truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of His creatures. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted Word, which is able to save your souls."

"EVERY good gift and every perfect gift is from above." This great and important truth is one of which we have need, through the corruption of our nature, constantly to be put in mind. For one of the most convincing proofs of our fallen state is to be found in this, that continuance of blessing, if it be uninterrupted, instead of eliciting from us, as in

right reason it should do, a continuance and increase of thankfulness towards God, is apt to have the very contrary effect, and to make us unthankful, by filling us with pride, and thoughts of our selfsufficiency, and that our well-being is the result of our own skill, or power, or industry. You may remember what especial need God found to caution the Israelites, again and again, on this point, when they were about to enter the land of Canaan. "Lest thou say in thine heart, My power, and the might of my hand, hath gotten me this wealth," "but thou shalt remember the Lord thy God, for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth'." You may remember, likewise, to what cause chiefly, if not wholly, the horrid sins of Sodom and Gomorrah were ascribed, even to "pride" and "fulness of bread 2" that is to say, to that proud self-sufficiency, and forgetfulness, and neglect of God, which uninterrupted prosperity is too apt to induce in the corrupt heart of men and you know how our blessed Lord has endeavoured to guard us against this danger, by teaching us to ask from day to day, the daily supply of which we stand in need: Give us this day our daily bread.

Since the danger then is so great, it must ever be deemed an act of faithful kindness to endeavour to keep the truth of the case before the eyes of men : and thus haply, by God's grace, prevent the evil :

1 Deut. viii. 17, 18.

2 Ezek. xvi. 49.