Page images
PDF
EPUB

and other wickednesses, for many ages and generations, yet such shall be the efficacy of the gospel, and the victorious power of grace accompanying it, that they shall give up with their idols, and stretch out their hands, in a way of worship and obedience, to the only living and true God. Much to this purpose is that word, Psal. cx. 3: “ The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion. Rule thou in the midst of

. thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power;" or (as it is in the original,) " in the day of thy armies."

From the words thus briefly opened, I offer the following doctrine ;

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

OBSERVE, That when the gospel is the power of God among a people, they soon stretch forth their hands to a God in Christ, as their God.

This text, as I told you, is a prediction of the success of the gospel amongst the idolatrous Ethiopians, and other Gentile nations, who had, for many generations, been stretching out their hands to strange gods, dunghill deities; yet, whenever the gospel light comes among them, with the power of the Spirit, they turn to the true and living God, and stretch forth the hand to him. Ethiopia sholl soon stretch out her hands unto God.

In discoursing on this doctrine, I shall, through divine assistance, observe the following method :

1. I would take a view of the condition of sinners without the gospel, or before the grace and power of the gospel reach their hearts.

II. I would speak of the power of the gospel by which they are made to stretch out their hands to God.

III. Of that hand that is stretched out to God, when they are converted to him.

IV. Why, or for what end, the hand is stretched out to God.

V. I would inquire whence it is, that the hand is soon stretched out to God, when the heart is effectually touched by the power of gospel grace.

VI. Make it evident, that, when the heart is touched by the power of the gospel, the hand is soon, or without delay, stretched out to God.

VII. And, lastly, Apply.

1. The first thing is, to take a view of the condition of sin

ye in

were with

a

ners without the gospel, or before gospel grace has reached their hearts.

To clear this I refer you to that description of the state of the Gentile nations, before the gospel came among them, given by the apostle Paul, Eph. ii. 1-3, 11, 12: “ And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins : wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: among whom, also, we all had our conversation in times past, in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” Ver. 11: “Wherefore, remember, that times past being Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision, by that which is called circumcision in the flesh made by hands," ver. 12: “ That at that time ye out Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the covenant of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world." From which it appears, that Ethiopia, Scotland, and all the Gentile nations, and every individual among them, is, by nature, in a most dismal and deplorable condition, without God, the chief good, without Christ, the only Saviour, without hope of salvation, without the true church, where life and immortality alone is brought to light; without God's covenant of promise, which is the only charter of salvation; under the power of sin and Satan, the great enemy of their salvation ; and, consequently, in a state of hostility against God. But these things I cannot now stand upon, and therefore proceed to

II. The second thing, which was, to speak of the power of gospel grace, by which sinners, like the Ethiopians, are made to stretch out their hands to God.

There are only these few things I offer upon this head :

1st, The preaching of the everlasting gospel is the great means, of divine institution, for the conversion and salvation of sinners, Rom. i. 16: “ The gospel is the power of God to salvation. It hath pleased God, by the foolishness of preaching, to save them that believe."

2dly, This power of God, in and by the gospel, is an exceeding great and mighty power, Eph. i. 18–20, hence called the revelation of his arm, Is. liii. 1; while the creation of the world is but the work of his fingers, Ps. viii. 3.

3dly, The way of exerting this power, in and by the gospel, upon the hearts of men, is very deep and mysterious. There is a glorious mystery in the contrivance, a mystery in the purchase, and as great a mystery in the application of

our redemption. Hence it is compared to the motion of the wind about us, which we cannot see, John iii. 8: “ The wind bloweth where it listeth; thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth:”

4thly, It is wholly supernatural. However Arminians and others may boast of their natural powers, yet He who knows what is in man better than man himself, declares, That “it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God who showeth mercy,” Rom. ix. 16.

“ No man,” says

Christ, John iv. 44, “ can come to me, except the Father, which hath sent me, draw him.”

5thly, This power is irresistible, nothing can stand against it. When God works, who can let, or hinder bim? All the power of corruption must give way before this power; the darkness of the mind, the obstinacy of the will, the carnality of the affections, the gates of brass and bars of iron, give way at the presence of the Lord, 2 Cor. x. 4, 5 : “ The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God, to the pulling down of strong-holds."

6thly, Though it be irresistible, yet there is no violence done to the natural powers of the soul. It is true, there is violence done to the strong man of sin and corruption, when a stronger than he binds him, and spoils him of his goods; but no violence is done to the natural powers of the soul by the power of gospel grace. What violence is done to the understanding to fill it with the light of the knowledge of the glory of God ?" What violence is done to the will, to restore it to liberty? What violence is done to the affections of the soul, to have them turned away from vanity, to centre upon a God in Christ, who is the proper object of love ?

7thly, The power of God, in the gospel, effects a universal change upon the soul, without any noise or din. Hence the kingdom of God is said to come without much observation. Conquests among men are with “ the confused noise of the warrior, and garments rolled in blood ;" but it is otherwise in God's conquests of sinners, it is in a secret and silent way that his work is done; hence it is compared to the falling of the dew, or to the spreading of leaven in a measure of meal, or the outgoings of the light of the morning, or the growth of the corn and grass, all which are the works of Infinite Power, and done with the greatest silence, and yet all very visible and discernible in their effects and fruits. But I pass this, and go on to the third thing in the method.

a

III. The third thing was, to inquire a little into the import of the phrase, stretching out the hand to God, when the heart is touched by the power of gospel grace.

Now, the stretching out the hand of faith to the true and living God, supposes or implies the things following :

1st, A revelation of God, and of his mind and will to the children of men, through Jesus Christ. Whatever discoveries God may make of himself in the works of creation and providence, yet, without a revelation of him, through Christ, in the gospel glass, they will never engage a sinner to stretch out the hand of faith to him, as we see in the case of the heathens, who, though they knew God, even his eternal power and Godhead, in the things that were made, yet they glorified him not as God. It is only the gospel that is the power of God unto salvation. It is upon the preaching of the gospel, which is the rod of the Mediator's strength, that Princes come out of Egypt, and Ethiopia stretches out her hands unlo God.

2dly, It implies an internal illumination of the heart and mind with the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. This is the very spring of a saving conversion to the true God. Hence Paul, describing his own conversion, gives it in one word, Gal. i. 16: “When it pleased God to reveal his Son in me,” immediately his hand that was stretched out against the Lord, in a way of persecution, is stretched forth for the advancement of the kingdom of Christ, 2 Cor. . iv. 6: “God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ.” This is the radical act of faith; hence faith is expressed by it, Is. liii. 11: “By his knowledge shall my righteous Servant justify many." So, John xvii. 3: “This is life eternal, that-they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent."

3dly, The stretching out of the hand of faith to God implies an assent of the soul to the record of God concerning Christ. The assent of the mind to any thing is frequently expressed by the motion of the hand; so, here, Ethiopia shall stretch out the hand to God, implies a "setting to his seal that God is true,” in the testimony, or record, that God gives to Christ in the word of the gospel; they, upon the matter, say with Paul, 1 Tim. i. 15: " This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” As the queen of Sheba said, so will the soul say, when it beholds the glory of the true King Solomon, O it is all true that I heard of Christ, and the half was not told

me.'

4thly, A hearty approbation of the way and method of salvation. When a man stretches out his hand to God, he, upon the matter, says, ““ It is a saying worthy of all acceptation,

that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners;" O I like it well; it is worthy of infinite Wisdom and Love.'

man say,

5thly, The lifting up of the hand is an act of admiration. When any thing extraordinary occurs, or is told, we are ready to lift up the hand, and say, 'O strange! Is it so, indeed?' O what ravishing wonder fills the soul, when it by faith beholds the glory of Christ's person and mediation! O, will the "Who is this that cometh from Edom, and with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength!"-O "who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passes by the transgression of the remnant of thy heritage !"“ Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness! God was manifest in the flesh !"-" What is man, that thou art mindful of him!"

6thly, Sometimes the lifting up of the hand is an act of renunciation. When a man believes, he, upon the matter, abjures all Christ's rivals, that would usurp the throne of the heart, saying with Ephraim, "What have I to do any more with idols? O Lord our God, other lords besides thee have had dominion over us, but by thee only will we make mention of thy name." He renounces all his lying refuges and false confidences in which he had trusted, saying, with returning Israel, Hosea xiv. 3: "Ashur shall not save us, we will not ride upon horses, neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods; for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy:" And Jer. iii. 23: “Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains; truly in the Lord our God, is the salvation of Israel."

7thly, It implies an allegiance to him as our Lord and Sovereign; Ethiopia shall stretch out her hands to God; that is, They shall, upon the discovery of God in man's nature, subject themselves to his authority, and receive the law from his mouth, saying, "The holy One of Israel is our almighty King." "The Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our King, the Lord is our Lawgiver; he will save us." They kiss the Son, and bow the knee to him, because he has "a name which is above every name that can be named."

8thly, The lifting up of the hand is an act of strong and fervent affection, which is a necessary concomitant of faith. When our affections are moved with love, desire, delight, we are ready to express it with the lifting up of the hand. So here, in believing, the will and affections are captivated with the love and loveliness of the blessed Bridegroom. O, will the soul be ready to say, "Thou art fairer than the children of men: He is altogether lovely.' "Whom have I in heaven

« PreviousContinue »