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The son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many....

Matt. xx. 28.

MOST gracious words to ME, who am a poor sinner and have nothing to bring to Christ but an empty hand to receive: most precious ransom for ME, who have the sentence of death in myself. May faith be high and self low to-night! The poor disciples were now wrangling about precedence and supremacy. What was the consequence? They were moved with indignation: they strangely forgot the end of Christ's coming and the nature of his kingdom. Christ knows we are poor as beggars, yet proud as devils: the very same spirit works in us all, as it did in them. Lord grant that the evil which occasioned these words may be made a blessing to us. Consider, 1st. Our proud notion of ministering to Christ. Some indeed did minister to Christ of their substance....Luke viii. 2. But this was of natural things. Though empty of all good, and full of all evil, yet we vainly think we can minister something to Christ of our spiritual substance which shall be available towards our salvation. It is dreadful to have both pride and poverty! There is no character so despicable: yet it is ours. But, 2d. O wondrous love! Christ came to minister, to our wants and quell our pride; he wants nothing from us; he bestows all upon us; he gives us to see our poverty; to hide pride from our eyes: he shews us our misery, that pride may not destroy us; he makes us feel our extreme indigence, that he may supply us out of his fulness; he ministers the grace of conviction of our lost and helpless state in ourselves, that he may comfort us in the conversion of our souls to himself. But do I minister nothing to Christ for salvation? Poor sinner, thou hast nothing to minister but a sinful body and a sin-sick soul. Is it. so? Art thou sensible of it and crying to him under it? Then Christ hath indeed ministered his Spirit to thee. Here is glorious. comfort for thee. 3d. "Christ came to give his life a ransom for many, even for ALL that the Father gave him."....John vi. 39. ALL such are known of God, known by Christ, and they too may know that they are of the blessed number of Christ's ransomed ones. How? more surely than if they heard a voice from heaven telling them so: "They shall come unto me." There is the most sure evidence to come, sensible that we have nothing to minister to Christ, and to take the ransom of his death as our finished salvation, this is the faith of God's elect. All such were given to Christ, and

shall eternally reign with him....Rom. v. 17.

To minister to our distress

And save our souls from hell:

Thus came the Lord our righteousness,
With love unspeakable.

M.

Take heed and beware of covetousness....Luke xii. 15.

2d.

It is said, if a person seeks for the philosopher's stone (which turns all metals into gold) with a covetous desire to be rich, he may be sure not to find it. We are sure that precious jewel, content, is not to be found in a covetous heart. Let philosophers and moralists reason ever so persuasively against the evil of covetousness, yet the love of money will rise superior to all. What mighty charms ist there in gold! But the voice of our beloved here speaks: his words are spirit and life. Hear then, O disciple; "Take heed and beware." Consider, 1st. This admonition of thy Lord's. It is redoubled: "TAKE HEED; BEWARE." Just as the loving parent, seeing his dear child running into the jaws of danger, cries out with vehemence, take care! take care! Fix this in thy mind; there is great, very great danger here: our Lord sees it: his love speaks with the utmost earnestness, that we may avoid covetousness. What is covetousness? One gave a good definition of it. Being persuaded to leave off business, as he had got enough, replied, What is enough? It is a little more than a man has. Consider, 3d. The evil of covetousness. That insatiable desire prevents present content, destroys thankfulness, yea, and keeps the enjoyment of Christ out of the heart. Can a covetous mind be happy in God? No; no more than Dives could be happy under the dreadful circumstances of Lazarus, full of hunger and sores. Will any one ask, What harm is there in the love of riches, and coveting of them? Paul expressly answers, "A covetous man is an idolater."....Eph. v. 5. Is there no harm in that? Our Lord says, "Seek ye first (principally, chiefly, and above all other things) the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added."....Matt. vi. 33. Is there no harm in reversing Christ's command; putting a slight upon his kingdom of love, righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost; so as to prefer riches before it? Soul, consider, What is your profession? Are the unsearchable riches of Christ enough to satisfy your mind, or are they not? Can enjoyment of fellowship with Christ make your heart happy or not? Have you faith to believe this, or have you not? Does Christ here caution you to no purpose, where there is no danger? O, lay this to heart: cry to the Lord. Covetousness is natural to us lively faith in Christ will kill it; for, it will enable the soul to say with Paul, "I am full and abound."....Phil. iv. 18.

Is Christ my portion and my store,.
And can't I be content?
Beware my soul to covet more,

Lest Christ from thee be rent.

See, see the thousands who now run

In full pursuit of gold,

They gave up Christ, and very soon
For gold their God they sold.

M.

And Israel said unto Joseph, now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art yet alive....Gen. xlvi. 30.

STRANGE request! What, just come to the sight and embrace of thy long lost son, and yet want to leave him at the very first interview? One would have thought the language of Jacob should have been, Happy man! I not only see my beloved son, but also see him governor over all the land: well, I hope I shall live long to enjoy his riches and grandeur. But no: the good man had lived long enough to make an estimate of the uncertainties of life; to knów the evil of days, the vicissitudes of time, and how soon the day of brilliant joy might be changed into an eclipse of gloom and sadness. The sight of his son was the summit of his wishes that granted, he sought no more; he wished to be at home with his Lord. Happy christian, thus to set loose to all creature enjoyments, even when there is the highest flood of them, then to have one's mind go out in longings after the heavenly world; this bespeaks the spirituality of the affections. Many have manfully withstood the frowns of the world; but its smiles have caressed, inchanted and hugged them to death. To choose death, to be with Jesus, when all things around are inviting and engaging, shews that Christ has the supreme affections of our hearts. Here see the nature of christian faith. 1st. It confesseth that Christ is come in the flesh: that though he was dead, yet he is alive for evermore, and hath the keys of hell and death and that he has opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. Therefore, 2d. As truly as Israel rejoiced to see his beloved son, and could depart in peace, so the believer rejoices at the sight of Christ by faith. A living Christ is the glory of a believer's soul. He can die easy, peaceful and comfortable, viewing the death of Christ for his sins and the life of Christ for his justification, and the intercession of Christ, prevailing for his eternal glorification. And this faith is somewhat more than a notion in the head, for, 3d. It brings victory into the heart. "For this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith: Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" ....1 John v. 4, 5. It is impossible to overcome the world any other way than by seeing greater glory and happiness in the Son of God than this world can bestow : but by faith we do; therefore we exchange shadows for substance, bawbles for jewels. O, rest not in a dead faith, which brings not the glory of Christ into the heart and brings no glory to Christ in the life.

Lord, having seen by faith thy face
And felt thy precious love:

O may I long thee to embrace,
In thy bright court above.

M.

Lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me....Judg. vii, 2.

THUS the Lord reasoned with Gideon: he knows what is in man he sees the pride of the human heart, how prone we all are to boast in an arm of flesh. The Lord is jealous of his own glory. Gideon's army of two and thirty thousand is brought down to three hundred by this handful of men, and no more, did Gideon gain the victory over the Midianites. The Lord's wisdom in this was, "lest Israel should vaunt themselves, and say, mine own hand hath saved me." But I have not transcribed the text right. There are two little words, of great import, which I have omitted. Mind them, O christian: AGAINST ME. Now remember, whenever thou dost boast of thy power, thy free-will, thy human goodness, thy works, duties, conditions and performances in order to be saved, thou art then as it were two and thirty thousand strong: thou vauntest thyself AGAINST THE LORD: thou art glorying in thine own arm of might and power to save thyself, in some measure or degree. Thou art trusting to thy works, to save thee in whole or in part. Be assured thy Lord will bring thee down, and weaken thy numbers, that he may have the sole glory of thy heart for saving thee. 1st. The Lord proclaimed, that all who were afraid should depart. Two and twenty thousand returned. So he will proclaim the terrors of his just, holy and righteous law in thine ears, and cause thy heart to tremble. Then shalt thou get rid of a deal of thy self-righteous confidence: it shall depart from thee. 2d. He brought the people down to the water and tried them by lapping. their numbers, to prevent their vaunting. lapping the waters of affliction. Here he will cut off the strength of thy vain confidence and prevent thy vaunting thyself against him. Thus when thou findest the commandment come with power, and sin revive, then wilt thou die to self-confidence and glory alone in the Lord. When the pruning-knife of affliction has cut off thy luxurious branches of pride and vain glory, then wilt thou say in deep humility, wretch that I am, that I should trust in myself and depart in heart from the Lord. I thank thee, my dear Saviour, for all the pains thou takest with my proud nature, to bring me to glory only in thee, and to say, "In God is my salvation and my glory."...." Psalm lxii. 7.

I'll trust my Saviour's work alone

To justify and save:

Here also he reduced So he will try thee by

Tho' poor, alas! I'm full of pride,
And prone to vaunt of pow'r:

No grace in me, nor works I've done, Lord, humble, that I may confide

The smallest share can have.

In thee ALONE each hour.

M.

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Wisdom is justified of all her children....Luke vii. 35.

"O COULD I but know and be sure I am a child of God, I should be quite happy: the want of this makes me very uncomfortable." Such is the language of many a doubting believer. Well, soul, here is a mark laid down: by it judge of thyself and know thy state. Art thou a child of wisdom? If so, thou wilt justify wisdom. But who is wisdom? What is it to justify wisdom? 1st. Thy Saviour is "the wisdom of God."....1 Cor. i. 21. He is not only wise to win souls, but is wisdom itself: he makes all his children wise unto salvation, by knowing him, "of God, made unto them wisdom.".... 1 Cor. 1. 30. Wisdom is here arraigned and his ways censured by the calumny of fools: he is condemned as a licentious person, a sot, an epicure, a jovial friend and companion of wicked sinners. If you are a child of wisdom, you will also meet with the same treatment from a carnal world and self-righteous men. If you dare openly confess salvation by the Son of God alone; free and full justification. unto eternal life, by his blood and righteousness ONLY, without your works contributing thereto, either in whole or in part, you will be condemned as a licentious Antinomian. Both the profane and self-righteous will unite to proclaim you a friend to sin and an enemy to all good works. Why? Because their carnal hearts were never under the constraints of Christ's love: their licentious thoughts were never brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ: therefore their lips proclaims their ignorance, while they are opened against his truths. Now you are called to justify wisdom, who has justified. you. 2d. How is this to be done? 1st. Hold fast wisdom's truths in your hearts, as your chief glory, in opposition to all gain-sayers. So, 2d. From a warm and lively sense of comfort by them, your lives will justify their holy influence: you will loudly proclaim to all the world, that though you dare not attempt a single act to justify your soul before God, yet you dare not continue in sin, because grace hath abounded. Your holy faith forbids it: the heavenly love of Christ animates to all holy obedience: your glorious hope in Christ makes you ready and obedient unto every good word and work; for the grace of God which bringeth salvation to the soul, teaches all the children of wisdom "to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously and godly, in this present world."..... Tit. ii. 12. Thus we know we have the faith of God's elect, and are the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus....Gal. iii. 26.

I know my soul is made alive

By Jesu's mighty pow'r,

*

For sin I hate, against it strive,
And pray to love Christ more. M.

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