able and efficient ministers. The strongest pillars in the house have
fallen; the tallest trees in the forest have been cut down. “The
fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?” Where
are the apostles and evangelists? What has become of the great reformers
of every age? They have gone the way whence they shall not return. They
have ascended in their chariots of fire. Though safe in heaven, they are
lost to earth. But the Holy Spirit is a “Comforter” that shall “abide
with you for ever.” The hands have all departed, one after another, and
new crews have been shipped from age to age; but the Captain is still
alive; and has remained on board, ever since he first took the register
and the compass, on the day of Pentecost; and will never leave the ship,
till he brings her in from her last voyage, and lays her up for ever!
Brethren in the ministry! this is our consolation. The Spirit that
blessed the labors of David Jones, Daniel Rowlands, and Howell Harris,
still “dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” O let us seek his aid in
our holy work, and pray for his outpouring upon our congregations!
Delegates of the different churches! be of good courage! You may not
have seen as many additions lately as in former times; but the Holy
Spirit has not yet departed from the faithful. You have heard of
wonderful revivals in America, as well as in some parts of Wales. The
“Comforter” is yet at work. The illuminator of souls is yet at hand.
The office is yet open. The blessing is yet offered. O, let us all pray
for the Holy Spirit! let us look for his coming! let us wait for his
salvation!
SERMON XXII.
THE FATHER AND SON GLORIFIED.
“_Howbeit_, _when he_, _the Spirit of Truth_, _is come_, _he will
guide you into all truth_; _for he shall not speak of himself_; _but
whatsoever he shall hear_, _that shall he speak_; _and he will show
you things to come_. _He shall glorify me_: _for he shall receive of
mine_, _and shall show it unto you_. _All things that the Father
hath are mine_; _therefore_, _said I_, _that he shall take of mine_,
_and shall show it unto you_.”—John xvi. 13–15.
THE wonderful Providence which brought the Children of Israel out of the
house of bondage was a chain of many links, not one of which could be
omitted without destroying the beauty, and defeating the end of the
Divine economy. The family of Jacob come to Egypt in the time of
famine—they multiply—they are oppressed—their cries reach to heaven—God
manifests himself in the burning bush—Moses is sent to Egypt—miracles are
wrought by his hand—Pharaoh’s heart is hardened—the first-born are
slain—the passover is eaten—the people depart, led by the pillar of
God—the sea is divided—and with many signs and wonders, the thousands of
Israel are conducted through the wilderness to the Promised Land. Had
one of these links been wanting, the chain of deliverance had been
defective.
So, in the salvation of sinners by Jesus Christ, all the conditions and
preparatives were essential to the completeness and glory of the scheme.
The Son of God must consent to undertake our cause, and become our
substitute—the promise must be given to Adam, and frequently repeated to
the patriarchs—bloody sacrifices must be instituted to typify the
vicarious sufferings of Messiah—a long line of prophets must foretell his
advent, and the glory of his kingdom—he must be born in Bethlehem,
crucified on Calvary, and buried in Joseph’s new tomb—must rise from the
dead, ascend to the right hand of the Father, and send down the Holy
Spirit to guide and sanctify his church. Without all these
circumstances, the economy of redemption would have been incomplete and
inefficient.
The last link in the chain is the mission and work of the Holy Spirit.
This is quite as important as any of the rest. Our Saviour’s heart seems
to have been much set upon it during all his ministry, and especially
during the last few days before his crucifixion. He spoke of it
frequently to his disciples, and told them that he would not leave them
comfortless, but would send them “another Comforter,” who should abide
with them for ever; and that his own departure was necessary, to prepare
the way for the coming of the heavenly Paraclete. In our text, he
describes the office of the Holy Spirit, and the specific relation which
he sustains to the work of salvation:—“Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of
Truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth; for he shall not speak
of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak; and he
will show you things to come. He shall glorify me; for he shall receive
of mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are
mine; therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it
unto you.”
These words teach us two important truths—_first_, That the Son is equal
with the Father; and _secondly_, That the Father and the Son are alike
glorified in the economy of salvation.
I. The Son claims equality with the Father. “All things that the Father
hath are mine.”
This sentence is very comprehensive and sublime—an unquestionable
affirmation of Messiah’s “eternal power and Godhead.” The same doctrine
is taught us in many other recorded sayings of Christ, and sustained by
all the prophets and apostles; and when I consider this declaration in
connection with the general strain of the inspired writers on the
subject, I seem to hear the Saviour himself addressing the world in the
following manner:—
“All things that the Father hath are mine. His _names_ are mine. I am
Jehovah—the Mighty God, and the Everlasting Father—the Lord of Hosts—the
Living God—the True God, and Eternal Life.
“His _works_ are mine. All things were made by me, and I uphold all
things by the word of my power. My Father worketh hitherto, and I work;
for as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them, even so the
Son quickeneth whom he will. I am the author of universal being, and my
hand moves all the machinery of providence.
“His _honors_ are mine. I have an indisputable right to the homage of
all created intelligences. I inhabit the praises of eternity. Before
the foundation of the world, I was the object of angelic adoration; and
when I became incarnate as a Saviour, the Father published his decree in
heaven, saying:—‘Let all the angels of God worship him!’ It is his will,
also, that all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father—in
the same manner, and the same degree. He that honoreth the Son, honoreth
the Father; and he that honoreth not the Son, honoreth not the Father:
for I and my Father are one—one in honor—possessing joint interest and
authority.
“His _attributes_ are mine. Though as man and mediator I am inferior to
the Father; yet my nature is no more inferior to his, than the nature of
the Prince of Wales is inferior to the nature of the King of England.
You see me clothed in humanity; but in my original state, I thought it
not robbery to be equal with God. I was in the beginning with God, and
possessed the same eternity of being. Like him, I am almighty,
omniscient, and immutable; infinite in holiness, justice, goodness, and
truth. All these attributes, with every other possible perfection,
belong to me in the same sense as they belong to the Father. They are
absolute and independent, underived and unoriginated—the essential
qualities of my nature.
“His _riches of grace_ are mine. I am the mediator of the new
covenant—the channel of my Father’s mercies to mankind. I have the keys
of the house of David, and the seal of the kingdom of heaven. I have
come from the bosom of the Father, freighted with the precious treasures
of his good will to men. I have sailed over the sea of tribulation and
death, to bring you the wealth of the other world. I am the Father’s
messenger, publishing peace on earth—a peace which I have purchased with
my own blood upon the cross. It hath pleased the Father that in me all
fulness should dwell—all fulness of wisdom and grace—whatever is
necessary for the justification, sanctification, and redemption of them
that believe. My Father and I are one in the work of salvation, as in
the work of creation. We have the same will, and the same intention of
mercy toward the children of the great captivity.
“The _objects of his love_ are mine. He hath given them to me in an
everlasting covenant. He hath given me the heathen for an inheritance,
and the uttermost parts of the earth for a possession. They were mine by
the original right of creation; but now they are doubly mine by the
superadded claim of redemption. My Father, before the world was, gave me
a charter of all the souls I would redeem. I have fulfilled the
condition. I have poured out my soul unto death, and sealed the covenant
with the blood of my cross. Therefore all believers are mine. I have
bought them with a price. I have redeemed them from the bondage of sin
and death. Their names are engraven on my hands and my feet. They are
written with the soldier’s spear upon my heart. And of all that the
Father hath given me, I will lose nothing. I will draw them all to
myself; I will raise them up at the last day; and they shall be with me
where I am, that they may behold my glory—the glory which I had with the
Father before the foundation of the world.”
II. The Father and the Son are equally glorified in the economy of
redemption, and the work of the Holy Spirit.
1. The Son glorifies the Father. I hear him praying in the
garden:—“Father, I have glorified thee on the earth; I have finished the
work which thou gavest me to do.” I hear him again, amid the
supernatural gloom of Calvary, with a voice that rings through the
dominions of death and hell, crying—“It is finished!”
What mighty achievement hast thou finished to-day, blessed Jesus? and how
have thy unknown agony and shameful death glorified the Father?
“I have glorified the Father, by raising up those precious things which
fell in Eden, and were lost in the abyss.
“I have raised up my Father’s _law_. I found it cast down to the earth,
and trampled into the dust. I have magnified and made it honorable. I
have vindicated its authority in the sight of men and angels. I have
satisfied its demands on behalf of my redeemed, and become the end of the
law for righteousness to all who will receive me as their surety.
“I have raised up my Father’s _name_. I have declared it to my brethren.
I have manifested it to the men whom he has given me. I have given a new
revelation of his character to the world. I have shown him to sinners,
as a just God and a Saviour. I have restored his worship in purity and
spirituality upon earth. I have opened a new and living way to his
throne of grace. I have written the record of his mercy with my own
blood upon the rocks of Calvary.
“I have raised up my Father’s _image_. I have imprinted it afresh upon
human nature, from which it was effaced by sin. I have displayed its
excellence in my own character. I have passed through the pollutions of
the world, and the territory of death, without tarnishing its lustre, or
injuring its symmetry. Though my visage is marred with grief, and my
back plowed with scourges, and my hands and feet nailed to the accursed
cross, not one trace of my Father’s image has been obliterated from my
human soul. It is as perfect and as spotless now as when I lay in the
manger. I will carry it unstained with me into heaven. I will give a
full description of it in my gospel upon earth. I will change my people
into the same image from glory to glory. I will also renovate and
transform their vile bodies, and fashion them like unto my own glorious
body. I will ransom them from the power of the grave; and because I
live, they shall live also—the counterpart of my own immaculate
humanity—mirrors to reflect my Father’s glory for ever.”
2. The Father glorifies the Son. He prayed in the garden:—“And now,
Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had
with thee before the world was.” Was the petition granted? Answer, ye
Roman sentinels, who watched his sepulchre! Answer, ye men of Galilee,
who gazed upon his chariot, as he ascended from the Mount of Olives!
The glorification of the Son by the Father implies all the honors of his
mediatorial office—all the crowns which he won by his victory over the
powers of death and hell. The Father raised him from the dead, and
received him up into glory, as a testimony of his acceptance as the
sinner’s surety—an expression of perfect satisfaction with his vicarious
sacrifice upon the cross. It was the just reward of his work; it was the
fruit of his gracious travail. He is “crowned with glory and honor for
the sufferings of death.” “Because he hath poured out his soul unto
death,” therefore “God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name
that is above every name.”
What an honor would it be to a man, to receive eight or ten of the
highest offices in a kingdom! Infinitely greater is the glory of
Emmanuel. His name includes all the offices and titles of the kingdom of
heaven. The Father hath made him “both Lord and Christ”—that is, given
him the supreme prerogatives of government and salvation. “Him hath God
exalted to be a prince and a Saviour, to give repentance to Israel, and
remission of sins.” He is “head over all things in the church”—Prime
Minister of the kingdom of heaven—Lord Treasurer, dispensing the bounties
of Divine grace to mankind—Lord High-Chancellor of the realm, and Keeper
of the Great Seal of the living God; holding in his hand the charter of
our redemption, and certifying the authenticity of the Divine
covenant—Lord Chief Justice of heaven and earth, having all power and
authority to administer the laws of Providence throughout the
universe—the Chief Prince—the General of the army—the Captain of the
Lord’s host—the Champion who conquered Satan, Sin, and Death; bruising
the head of the first, destroying the power of the second, and swallowing
up the third in victory. He hath the keys of hell and of death. He
shutteth, and no man openeth; he openeth, and no man shutteth. He bears
all the honors of his Father’s house; and concentrates in himself all the
glories of Supreme Divinity, redeemed humanity, and “mediator between God
and man.”
3. The Holy Spirit glorifies Father and Son together. He is procured
for the world by the blood of the Son, and sent into the world by the
authority of the Father; so that both are alike represented in his
mission, and equally glorified in his office. The gracious things which
the Father gave into the hands of the Son when he descended from heaven,
the Son gave into the hands of the Spirit when he returned to heaven.
“All things that the Father hath are mine; and he shall take of mine, and
shall show it unto you.”
This is the object of the Spirit’s advent, the communication of the
things of Christ to men. What are the things of Christ? His merit, his
mercy, his image, his gospel, his promises, all the gifts of his grace,
all the treasures of his love, and all the immunities of eternal
redemption. These the Father hath given to the Son, as the great Trustee
of the church; and the Son hath given them to the Spirit, as the
appointed agent of their communication.
A ship was laden in India, arrived safe in London, unloaded her precious
cargo, and the goods were soon distributed all over the country, and
offered for sale in a thousand stores. The Son of God brought immense
riches of Divine grace from heaven to earth, which are all left to the
disposal of the Holy Spirit, and freely proffered to the perishing
wherever the gospel is preached.
The Holy Spirit came not to construct a new engine of mercy, but to
propel that already constructed by Christ. Its first revolution rent the
rocks of Calvary, and shook the rocky hearts of men. Its second
revolution demolished the throne of death, burst his prison-doors, and
liberated many of his captives. Its third revolution carried its builder
up into the heaven of heavens, and brought down the Holy Spirit to move
its machinery for ever. Its next revolution, under the impulse of this
new Agent, was like “the rushing of a mighty wind” among the assembled
disciples at Jerusalem, kindled a fire upon the head of every Christian,
inspired them to speak all the languages of the babbling earth, and
killed and quickened three thousand souls of the hearers.
The Holy Spirit is still on earth, glorifying the Father and the Son. He
convinces the world of sin. He leads men to Christ, through the rivers
of corruption, the mountains of presumption, and the terrible bogs of
despair, affording them no rest till they come to the city of refuge. He
continues on the field to bring up the rear; while the Captain of our
Salvation, on his white horse, rides victorious in the van of battle. He
strengthens the soldiers—“faint, yet pursuing;” raises the fallen;
encourages the despondent; feeds them with the bread of life, and the new
wine of the kingdom; and leads them on—“conquering, and to conquer.”
His work will not be finished till the resurrection. Then will he
quicken our mortal bodies. Then will he light his candle, and sweep the
house till he find every lost piece of silver. Then will he descend into
the dark caves of death, and gather all the gems of redeemed humanity,
and weave them into a crown for Emmanuel, and place that crown upon
Emmanuel’s head, amid the songs of the adoring seraphim!
Thus the Holy Spirit glorifies the Father and the Son. Let us pray for
the outpouring of his grace upon the church. In proportion to his
manifestation in our hearts, will be our “knowledge of the light of the
glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Nor is this all; in
proportion to the visitations of the Holy Spirit, will be the purity of
our lives, the spirituality of our worship, the ardor of our zeal and
charity, and the extent of our usefulness to the cause of Christ. Would
you see a revival of religion? pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit
upon you, to sanctify your hearts and your lives, that your light may “so
shine before men, that others may see your good works, and glorify your
Father who is in heaven.”
“When thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry
trees, then thou shalt bestir thyself; for then the Lord shall go out
before thee, to strike the hosts of the Philistines.” Brethren, this is
the time. The mulberry trees are shaking. God is going before his
people, to prepare their way to victory. The hand of Divine Providence
is opening a great and effectual door for the gospel. The mountains are
levelled, the valleys are exalted, and a highway is cast up in the
wilderness for our God. The arts of printing and navigation, the
increasing commerce of the world, the general prevalence of the spirit of
peace, the rapid march of literature and science, and the correspondence
of eminent and leading men in every nation, are so many preparatives for
the moral conquest of the world. The Captain of our Salvation, on the
white horse of the gospel, can now ride through Europe and America: and
will soon lead forth his army to take possession of Asia and Africa. The
wings of the mighty angel are unbound, and he is flying in the midst of
heaven.
Again: Christians are better informed concerning the moral state of the
world than formerly. If my neighbor’s house were on fire, and I knew
nothing of it, I could not be blamed for rendering him no assistance; but
who could be guiltless in beholding the building in flames, without an
effort to rescue its occupants? Brethren, you have heard of the
perishing heathen. You have heard of their dreadful superstitions, their
human sacrifices, and their abominable rites. You have heard of
Juggernaut, and the River Ganges, and the murder of infants, and the
immolation of widows, and the worship of idols and demons. You know
something of the delusion of Mohammedism, the cruel and degrading
ignorance of Popery, and how millions around you are perishing for lack
of knowledge. Do you feel no solicitude for their souls—no desire to
pluck them as brands from the burning?
What can we do? The Scriptures have been translated into nearly all the
languages of the babbling earth. Missionaries have gone into many
lands—have met the Indian in his wigwam, the African in his Devil’s-bush,
and the devotee on his way to Mecca. We can furnish more men for the
field, and more money to sustain them. But these things cannot change
and renovate the human heart. “Not by might, nor by power, but by my
Spirit, saith the Lord.” This is the grand regenerating agency. He
alone can convince and save the world. His aid is given in answer to
prayer; and the Father is more ready to give than we are to ask.
Mr. Ward, one of the Baptist missionaries in India, in a missionary
discourse at Bristol, said,—“Brethren, we need your money, but we need
your prayers more.” O, what encouragement we have to pray for our
missionaries! Thus saith the Lord:—“I will pour water upon him that is
thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon thy
seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring.” Let us plead with God for
the accomplishment of the promise. “Ye that make mention of the Lord,
keep not silence, and give him no rest till he make Jerusalem a praise in
the whole earth.”
Brethren in the ministry! let us remember that all our success depends
upon the aid of the Holy Spirit, and let us pray constantly for his
blessing upon the word! Brethren in the church! forget not the
connection between the work of the Holy Spirit and the glory of your Best
Friend, and earnestly entreat him to mingle his sanctifying unction with
the treasures of Divine Truth contained in these earthen vessels!
“Finally, brethren, pray for us; that the word of the Lord may have free
course and be glorified;” and all the ends of the earth see the salvation
of our God!
“Hasten, Lord, the glorious time,
When, beneath Messiah’s sway,
Every tribe, in every clime,
Shall the gospel call obey!
“Then shall wars and tumults cease;
Then be banished grief and pain
Righteousness, and joy, and peace,
Undisturbed, for ever reign!”
EXTRACTS.
I. THE DEMONIAC OF GADARA.
_Luke_ viii. 26–39.
“AND when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain
man, which had devils a long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in
any house, but in the tombs.”
I imagine that this demoniac was not only an object of pity, but he was
really a terror in the country. So terrific was his appearance, so
dreadful and hideous his screams, so formidable, frightful, and horrid
his wild career, that all the women in that region were so much alarmed
that none of them dared go to market.
And what made him still more terrible was the place of his abode: It was
not in a city, where some attention might be paid to order and
decorum—(though he would sometimes ramble into the city as in this case.)
It was not in a town, or village, or any house whatever, where assistance
might be obtained in case of necessity; but it was among the tombs, and
in the wilderness—not far, however, from the turnpike road. No one could
tell but that he might jump at them, like a panther, and scare them to
death. The gloominess of the place made it more awful and solemn. It
was among the tombs—where, in the opinion of some, all witches,
corpse-candles, and hobgoblins abide.
One day, however, Mary was determined that no such nuisance should be
suffered in the country of the Gadarenes. The man must be clothed,
though he was mad and crazy. And if he should at any future time strip
himself, tie up his clothes in a bundle, throw them into the river, and
tell them to go to see Abraham, he must be tied and taken care of. Well,
this was all right—no sooner said than done. But, so soon as the fellow
was bound in chains and fetters, Samson-like, he broke the bands asunder,
and could not be tamed.
By this time, the devil became offended with the Gadarenes, and in a pout
he took the demoniac away, and drove him into the wilderness. He thought
the Gadarenes had no business to interfere and meddle with his property;
for he had possession of the man. And he knew, that “a bird in the hand
is worth two in the bush.” It is probable that he wanted to send him
home; for there was no knowing what might happen now-a-days. But there
was too much matter about him to send him as he was; therefore, he
thought the best plan would be to persuade him to commit suicide by
cutting his throat. But here Satan was at a nonplus—his rope was too
short—He could not turn executioner himself, as that would not have
answered the design he has in view, when he wants people to commit
suicide; for the act would have been his own sin and not the man’s. The
poor demoniac, therefore, must go about to hunt a sharp stone, or any
thing that he could get. He might have been in search of such an
article, when he returned from the wilderness into the city, whence he
came when he met the Son of God.