"Behold, what manner of love" is this,' to be God's sons, to see him as he is, to be like him, and all this forever and ever! Think on the character of those on whom they are bestowed,sinners, guilty, depraved, righteously condemned; deserving everlasting destruction; in the state in which mercy finds them, forgetters, haters, contemners of God. Surely the mercy which confers such blessings on such sinners is abundant mercy, and the apostle may well say," Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed on us, that we should be called the sons of God." Think of the number of those on whom these blessings are bestowed," the nations of the saved" are a numerous host. The sons who are to be brought to glory are "many sons." They are "a great multitude, an innumerable company, out of every kindred, and people, and tongue, and nation;" and all these are blessed up to their largest capacity of enjoyment, during the whole eternity of their being. Is not this abundant mercy? Once more, think of the means through which the blessings are communicated, the incarnation, the sacrifice of God's own Son. He did not spare him, he delivered him up for us all, that he with him might freely give us all things. "Herein surely is love, not that we loved God but that God loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him might not perish, but have everlasting life." 3 Surely it is in his "abundant mercy" that "God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, has blessed us with all heavenly and spiritual blessings." §4.-These blessings are of vast magnitude and incalculable value. The fourth remark suggested by this devout acknowledgment is, that the blessings acknowledged are of vast magnitude and of incalculable value. The plain meaning of the acknowledgment is this: "for conferring these blessings on us, God richly deserves to be thanked and praised uninterruptedly, everlastingly." For every blessing, even for a breath of air, a crust of bread, a draught of water, a moment of ease, we ought to give thanks; for we are unworthy of any favor. Everything in the shape of blessing coming to us from God should excite our gratitude. But the blessings mentioned in the text are obviously peculiarly valuable. They are not "such corruptible things as silver and gold." They include in them deliverance from guilt, depravity, degradation, death, everlasting misery; the enjoyment of the favor of God, tranquillity of conscience, ever-growing conformity to the divine image in holiness and happiness, throughout eternity. Just look at them as here described, and say if they are not unspeakably great, incalculably valuable. What is said of the love in which they originate may be equally applied to them: They have "a height and a depth, a length and a breadth, which pass knowledge." 11 John iii. 1. * 1 John iv. 10. John iii, 16. 2 Rev. xxi. 24; vii. 9. 4 Eph. iii. 18, 19. § 5.—The proper method of acknowledging these benefits is, to “bless” their munificent giver. The fifth and last remark suggested by this devout acknowledgment is, that the appropriate manner of expressing our sense of the magnitude and value of these blessings is, to bless their munificent author. When God blesses men, he confers on them blessings, he makes them blessed; when men bless God, they merely declare that he is infinitely excellent and blessed in himself that he deserves to have his infinite excellencies acknowledged and celebrated-that they recognize this obligation as lying on them-and that they wish to express, by every proper method, their sense of the infinite praiseworthiness of the Divinity. 1 Nothing surely can be more reasonable than that those who have received such blessings as are here acknowledged, should bless Him who has bestowed them. This is one of the purposes for which they are begotten again. "This people," may Jehovah say of them, "I have formed for myself, that they may show forth my praise." 'Ye are a chosen generation," says the apostle, "a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.' Christians ought to cultivate the feelings of gratitude for the blessings they have received, and which they hope to receive, and often to express their feelings in thanksgiving and praise. Indeed their whole lives should be a hymn of praise to the God of their salvation. The habitual language of their heart should be, "What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits!" "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and never be forgetful of his benefits! who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies." "I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart; and I will glorify thy name for evermore. For great is thy mercy toward me; and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell." 2 66 If we really feel gratitude to God for his abundant goodness, we shall express it not merely by our lips, but by our lives. Constrained by "the mercy of God, we shall present our bodies, ourselves, living sacrifices, holy, and acceptable, which is our reasonable service." While we through Christ "offer to him continually the sacrifice of praise, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name;" we will also, do good and communicate," knowing that "with such sacrifices God is well pleased;" and while we feel ashamed of the coldness of our feelings of gratitude, and the imperfection of our services of acknowledgment, we will look forward with earnest longings to that happy period, when, having been made partakers of the inheritance, we shall, under the influence of the gratitude which "the salvation which is in Christ, with eternal glory," fully possessed, is fitted to exert over a thoroughly sanctified human heart, join in the rapturous anthem of eternity: "Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be to him that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb forever and ever." 1 Isa. xliii. 21: 1 Pet. ii. 9. 2 Psal. ciii. 1-4: lxxxvi. 12, 13. Rom. xii. 1. Heb. xiii. 15, 16. Rev. v. 13. DISCOURSE III THE PRESENT AND FUTURE STATE OF THE CHRISTIAN CONTRASTED. 1 PET. i. 6-9.—Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season (if need be) ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations; that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise, and honor, and glory, at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. THE first step towards the satisfactory interpretation of a long, complicated, parenthetical sentence like that just now read, is to analyze it. The sentence consists of a direct assertion, with a long parenthesis interposed. The direct assertion is, "In that time, the last time, ye greatly rejoice; ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls." The parenthetical statement is, "though now for a season, if need be" or, "since there is need, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations, that the trial of your faith, being more precious than that of gold which perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise, and honor, and glory, at the appearing of Jesus Christ, whom though you have not seen, ye love, not seeing him, but believing in him." With respect to the direct assertion, a careful reader will easily perceive, that though expressed in the present time, it refers to the future. The time of the Christian's joy unspeakable and full of glory, is the last time, contrasted with the time of his trial-" now;" when he shall receive the end of his faith, even the salvation of his soulthe same period which is described as that of "the appearing" or manifestation "of Jesus Christ." Instances of an assertion made in the present tense, when it plainly refers to the future, are not unfrequent. "Yet a little while I am," that is, shall be," with you, and then I go, that is, shall go, "unto him that sent me. Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am," that is, shall be, "thither ye cannot," that is, shall not be able to, "come." "How are," that is, shall be, "the dead raised, and with what bodies do," that is, shall, they come ?" "And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth,' that is, shall proceed, "out of their mouth, and devoureth," that is, shall devour, "their enemies." 2 66 The phrases," a joy unspeakable and full of glory," are too strong 1 It is rendered by the future in the Latin Vulgate, and versions made from it. ' John vii. 33, 34. 1 Cor. xv. 35. Rev. xi. 5. to describe the Christian's habitual feelings in the present state; and we find the very same words employed, in reference to the happiness of the final state, in an after part of the epistle. "But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are made partakers of Christ's sufferings; that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy."1 The meaning of the apostle would have been more evident to an English reader, had the assertion been rendered in the future time; "in which time," that is, in the last time, ye shall greatly rejoice(though now for a season, since it is needful, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations; that the trial of your faith, which is more precious than that of gold which perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found to praise, and honor, and glory, at the appearing of Jesus Christ: whom, not seeing him, but believing on him, ye love, though ye have not seen him)-"ye shall rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory: receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your soul." 2 The passage, thus interpreted, contains in it a beautiful and instructive comparison, or rather contrast, of the state of Christians in the present and in the last time, on earth and in heaven. The points of comparison or contrast are the following:-I. Now and here, Christ, the great object of their affection, is not bodily present with them, is but imperfectly known by them, and all their knowledge of him, and all their intercourse with him, are by means of faith-Then and there, he will be bodily present with them, intimately known by them, and their knowledge and intercourse will be direct and immediate. II. Now and here, they are exposed to manifold trials-Then and there, they will enjoy the glorious results of these trials. III. Now and here, complete salvation is a subject of faith and hope-Then and there, it shall be the subject of enjoyment. IV. Now and here, they are for a season in heaviness-Then and there, they shall "greatly rejoice;" they shall "rejoice with a joy unspeakable and full of glory." In the remaining part of the discourse I shall endeavor shortly to illustrate this contrasted view of the present and the future state of the true Christian. L-CHRIST ABSENT AND BELIEVED ON, CONTRASTED WITH CHRIST PRESENT AND SEEN. The first point of contrast is, that now and here, Christ, the great object of their affection, is bodily absent from them-is but imperfectly known by them-and all their knowledge of him is by means of faith; then and there, Christ will be revealed-manifested: he will be bodily present with them; he will be intimately known by them, and their knowledge and intercourse will be direct and immediate. 1 Ch. iv. 13. The parallelism of the two passages is striking :-Ch. i. 6, 8,—¿v ș (i. e. ἐσχάτῳ καιρῷ) ἀγαλλιᾶσθε χαρᾷ ἀνεκλαλήτῳ καὶ δεδοξασμένη. Ch. iv. 18,—ἐν τῇ ἀποκαλύψει τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ, χαρῆτε ἀγαλλιώμενοι. The interpretation we have been led to prefer, is that supported by Ecumenius and Theophylact among the Greek Fathers; by the translators of the Vulgate; by Luther, Vatablus, Clarius, Benson, Pott, and others. Τὸ ̓Αγαλλιᾶσθε ἀντὶ μέλλοντος ελληται.-Eco MENIUS. Christ is the great object of his people's affection; he is, by way of eminence, HE whom they love. This is an essential element of the Christian character. When a person is brought under divine influence to understand and believe the Gospel, he perceives that in Christ Jesus centres every amiable excellence in absolute perfection; and that the benefits which he has obtained for us, are infinite in number, value, and duration. He appears at once infinitely lovely and infinitely kind. Contemplating his glory, "the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and of truth," the believer says in his heart, "He is the chiefest among ten thousand, and altogether lovely." "This is my beloved, and this is my friend. flecting on what he has done and what he has suffered; what he has given, and what he has promised-the believer says in his heart, “I love him, because he first loved me." I love him who "loved not his life to the death," for my salvation. I love him who hath "washed me from my sins in his own blood, and made me a king and a priest to God, even his Father." The Christian has other objects of affection besides his Saviour; but He is the object of his supreme affection. In comparison of HIM, "he hates even his father and mother." " 66 Re It is of the essence of love to seek union with its object. We naturally wish to be present with, to become intimately acquainted with, to have frequent intimate intercourse with, the object of our affection. These wishes of the Christian, in reference to the great object of his affection, are-can be, but very imperfectly gratified in the present state. He whom we love was once a man among men. Yes," the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among men." Inasmuch as the children were partakers of flesh and blood, he also took part of the same." There was a time when it was possible to have become, in the ordinary sense of the term, familiarly acquainted with Jesus Christ; and I believe very few Christians, not naturally deficient in the imaginative and affectionate parts of our nature, have ever read the history of his going out and in among his chosen followers, without in some measure envying their enjoyments. Who has not occasionally felt a wish rising in his heart that he had come into existence eighteen centuries sooner, and that he had had his lot cast in that land gladdened and dignified above all lands by the presence of the incarnate Divinity-that so he might have contemplated the humble shrine of the divine glory, and seen its radiance bursting through in miracles of power and mercy-that he might have gazed on that countenance which beamed with divine intelligence and benignity, and listened to that voice which poured forth a stream of divine wisdom, and truth, and kindness? Who has not sometimes said in his heart, O happy family of Bethany, all whose members were the objects of Jesus' peculiar love, and under whose hospitable roof he spent so many of his hours! O that, like the three favored disciples, we had been admitted to witness the glory on "the Holy Mount," and to watch and weep with him amid his agony in the garden of Gethsemane! O that we had seen him displaying at once the tokens of his unexampled love, and the proofs of the reality of his resurrection! O 1 John i. 14. Cant. v. 10, 16. 2 John iv. 19. Rev. i. 5. |