Ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things....1 John ii. 20. A CHRISTIAN may safely indulge this covetous wish, to have his head filled with the knowledge and his heart with the love of Christ. What is knowledge without love? The very devil could say of Christ, "I know thee who thou art, the holy one of God." They have a more distinct knowledge of Christ, believe more of him, and have just as much love to him as Arians, Socinians, and other infidels, who deny his eternal power and godhead, and his self-existent deity. The devils declare, "what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth?" Infidelity in men causes them to give our Saviour no higher name than this, and to allow him to be no more than a prophet, mighty in word and deed: but they will have nothing to do with him as the eternal Son of God, atoning sin by his precious blood, justifying sinners by his perfect righteousness, and finishing salvation for them by his life and death. This is from the teaching of the holy Spirit, agreeable to the word of truth. All who receive the truth in love, are christians, or anointed ones of God. 1st. They have an unction. The Son of God was anointed, as well as chosen to his office and work, as our Saviour the holy child Jesus, whom God anointed....Acts iv. 27. So all who are chosen to salvation, are also anointed of God....2 Cor. i. 21. They, as members of Christ, partake in a measure of the gifts and graces of the Spirit, which their Lord and head received without measure....John iii. 34. 2d. This is from THE HOLY ONE. This is one of our dear Saviour's names: he is often called by it. None but God is holy: but Christ is the Holy One, therefore he is God. Mind, soul, you are a disciple of a holy Saviour, therefore be holy in your walk. This unction is from the Holy One, received out of the fulness of Jesus: we cannot have any of the gifts and grace of the Spirit, but in, and by, and from the holy Lamb of God. The love of the Father centers in him, and flows from him to us: the graces of the Spirit are without measure all treasured up in him, and flow from him to us: we receive all grace out of the fulness of Christ. O, let us keep the eye of our faith and the hope of our souls steadily fixed upon our HOLY ONE, JESUS. Let us glorify him and praise the dear Spirit for this unction. This teacheth us, 3d. To KNOW ALL THINGS. O then, saith a poor soul, I have not this unction: I am weak and ignorant: I know nothing. No! Do you not know that you are a poor, lost, hopeless, helpless sinner; that God is in Christ reconciling the world unto himself; that Jesus has finished salvation; and that the Father is well pleased in and with him? Dost thou know and believe this in thine heart? Why, "this is life eternal to know the only true God and Jesus Christ."....John xvii. 3. The great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come, which were ready to perish....Isa. xxvii. 13. 1 ONE trumpet has been blown at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai; the voice of it sounded long and waxed louder and louder: it made even Moses to fear and quake exceedingly and all the people tremble. Soon, very soon, who knows but it may be the next mo ment, in the twinkling of an eye? The last trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised....1 Cor. xv. 52. Tremendous voice! Most solemn sound! The prophet asks, "Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid?".... Amos iii. 6. If the alarm of war and the approach of an enemy be sounded in the dead of the night, what fear and terror would seize us? Must we hear the sound of the last trumpet, calling us to judgment? Blessed, eternally blessed be our God, for the blowing of this great trumpet: it is the sound of great love: it proclaims a great salvation....to whom? Even to great sinners; such as see their sins so great, that they are READY TO PERISH. The sound of this great trumpet expels the legal fears of the first, and the awful terrors which arise in our minds by the sound of the last trumpet; for it proclaims, that "the great God is our Saviour, Jesus Christ."....Tit. ii. 13. Our judge is our advoeate, our Saviour, and friend. Do we see ourselves ready to perish without hope and help in and from ourselves? Are the curses of a broken law upon us, and is the glittering sword of justice brandished over us? The great trumpet sounds, COME, come to Christ, ye sinners, who are ready to perish, and must perish if ye do not Saith Jesus, "ALL that the Father giveth me SHALL COMé to me."....John vi. 37. Therefore, this great trumpet of gospel salvation shall not be blown in vain. Those who never saw themselves ready to perish can hear neither music nor charms in its sound: it is foolishness to them: but to sensible, perishing sinners, it is a joyful sound to their ears; it proclaims victory over sin, the law, satan, death and hell, through Jesus, who loved us and gave himself for us. Nor less doth it proclaim holiness than happiness : for it calls us to war with our sins, to peace with God, and to walk in sweet fellowship with God the Father, and his Son Jesus Christ... 1 John i. 3. This great gospel trumpet, like those of old, is all of a piece....Numb. x. 2. It does not give an uncertain sound; but it proclaims a free, full and finished salvation by Christ, to the glory of God, yea, and amen. come. The gospel, like a trumpet shrill, Doth pierce us to the heart, Awakes our souls, subdues our will From all our sins to part. Joseph sought where to weep.... Gen. xliii. 30. To weep! What! When he saw his beloved brother Benjamin and heard that his affectionate, aged father was alive and well? Yes, the sight of the one and the news of the other, created such an ecstacy of joy in his heart as was too great to bear. He sought where to vent it by tears. O, had one followed good Joseph to his chamber, and heard what passed there between his God and his soul! Methinks I see the dear man fall prostrate, crying out in a flood of grateful, joyful tears, O what a God do I serve! What amazing scenes of his providence have opened to my view! How has the Lord appeared graciously in my behalf! How strangely has he exalted me in life! And now, to crown all and complete my happiness, I see my beloved brother, and hear of the welfare of my honored father. Doubtless he wept, he prayed, he praised, he rejoiced, he loved, he adored his God, his kind preserver, his bountiful benefactor, his dear Saviour. Methinks, one cannot meditate on Joseph's conduct, without calling to mind some sweet weeping seasons of spiritual joy our souls have been favored with when in some highly favored moments, the blessed Spirit has brought some joyful tidings of, and some love tokens from our once crucified, but ever-living brother in flesh, Jesus, O then what joy has sprung up in our souls! too big for utterance. When he has assured us of his love to us; that we shall soon see him as he is, be with him where he is, and eternally enjoy him and his Father and our Father in glory; O, the rapture of this faith! Then we are ready to fly the world and all its concerns, and even our brethren in Christ too: we seek to be alone to pour out our souls, to give vent to our joy in a flood of joyful, loving, grateful tears. Then, like the disciples on the mount, we cry out, it is good to be here: this is sweet: methinks my soul is drowned in tears of love! Now, are we not ready to wish, O that it were always thus with me! But neither Joseph, you, nor I, could live under such melting frames, such ecstacy, and in such rapture: the body could not support them: my weak body could not. Neither are they always good for the soul to be in; if so, we should be always favored with them. This we are fully assured of: for, "No GOOD THING Will the Lord withhold from them that walk uprightly." ....Psalm lxxxiv. 11. But these God withholds. You never read of one saint in the bible always in an ecstacy of joy. He who freely gave us his Son, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?....Rom. viii. 32. Dear Saviour, when we feel thy love, VOL. II. We long to be with thee above, Hh M. Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it.... Isa. Ivi. 2. MANY poor blind sinners we meet with, who are saying, do not puzzle me with your points of doctrine. This is my religion, "I do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with my God." There is scarce a text in the whole bible, so much punned upon and hackneyed by ignorant men, to keep up their vain hopes and self-righteous confidence, as this of Micah vi. 8. As a striking instance of their walking humbly with God, they reject the glorious gospel of his grace, set at nought the atonement and righteousness of his Son, ridicule the inspiration of his Spirit, and walk in the pride of their hearts, fulfilling the lusts of their flesh. They are cursed by the mouth of the Lord. But here is the only blessed man described by him. 1st. In his doing....What? JUSTICE. He has a sincere regard to do every thing which is moral, just and good. Without this, know, ye professors of faith, your religion is vain; ye are not the blessed of the Lord: "Faith without works is dead."....James ii. 26. 2d. He KEEPS JUDGMENTS. He retains a right judgment of HIMSELF, that he is a poor miserable sinner: oF SIN, that it is exceeding sinful, most hateful to a holy God, and has made him most abominable in his sight: OF THE LAW, that by it he is cursed, and by it he can never be justified, for he can never fulfil it: or GOD, that he has concluded him under sin, that he might have mercy on him and freely justify him through the grace of Jesus. Am I this blessed man? Pause and consider. It is necessary to our blessedness to know our curse: the blessed Spirit convinces of it. 3d. That we may "lay hold on this." What? "My salvation, the salvation of God's Son, finished for the hopeless sons of Adam. "My righteousness revealed:" whereby God is just, and yet the justifier of every ungodly, unrighteous sinner, who by faith lays hold of this righteousness. All such sons of men are the blessed sons of God. O, rejoice in your blessed state glory in it give God the glory of it. But legal hearts and self-righteous spirits will be ever buzzing, what becomes of good works and a holy life? We answer, God not only justifies us by grace, but sanctifies by his Spirit. The grace of God, which brings salvation to us, teaches us to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righte ously and godly in this present world....Tit. ii. 12. This is the ONE, the only way, For sinners to be blest, In him we find a spring of hope, A sense of joy and peace, M. The apostles said unto the Lord, increase our faith.... Luke xvii. 5. CC O, you NATURAL men tauntingly say, don't mind good works, faith is to do every thing for you." Truly faith is all, for it includes the object of faith, the LORD. For, indeed, faith has no existence without its object. Consider, 1st. Is it not a good work to forgive an offending brother? This is what our Lord here teaches. The apostles were made truly sensible that they could not do this without faith; nay, not without the increase of faith; therefore they prayed for it. Real believers are created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained, that we should walk in them....Eph. ii. 10. They are a peculiar people, zealous of good works....Tit.ii. 14. Thus they love to glorify their heavenly Father. 2d. They know, that all good works proceed from faith and from the increase of faith: for Christ dwells in our hearts by faith.... Eph. iii. 17. This is the source and spring of all comfort, and every good work. Without this, what is life to a christian? Verily but an uncomfortable breathing, not worthy the name of life. Christ dwelling in the heart constitutes heaven upon earth. Just as uncomfortable as this world would be, if the sun were blotted out of heaven, would the christian be without the in-dwelling of Christ. How hast thou found thy soul, O christian, this, day? Hast thou found Christ in thee, the hope of glory? If not, it is for want of faith. If thou hast, dost thou not desire to enjoy more of it? It is. to be had by the increase of faith: pray for it. 3d. Faith sickens the soul to the love of sin and the love of this world. The increase of faith kills the love of both: "For this is the victory, even our faith." .... 1 John v. 4. 4th. Faith brings the prospect of heavenly glory into view. The increase of faith brings fuller assurance to our hearts of our enjoyment of it, quickens our diligence in the way to it, excites ardent desires in our souls after the full fruition of it, that we may be absent from the body and present with the Lord. 5th. See who is the author and finisher of our faith. Do you complain, that your faith is weak and your corruptions strong? Remember, that dear Christ who died for your sins can strengthen your faith: look unto Jesus: cry unto him to increase your faith; so shall your heart be happy, your life holy, and your soul strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus....2 Tim. ii. 1. Jesu, thou author of our faith, Increase its pow'r we pray; O make us faithful unto death; Live in us ev'ry day. O'er all our lusts, and reas'ning pride, M. |