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all ungodliness, and do the will of God, that we and our works are to abide for ever.

Thirdly, THE PROPHET. Here is his regard for the divine honour. He sent to Jehoram and to Naaman to say, "I undertake a cure shall be effected. Let him know that in Israel there is a God who can kill and make alive, who can send sickness and health: let him know that I am his prophet, and that the Israelitish maid is not mistaken."

Here is his dignity. When Naaman was proud, he would not let him come near him; to teach Naaman that he had a benefit to receive, and not an honour to confer. The prophet magnified not himself, but his office.

Then his disinterestedness: he would receive no present. Here is a Syrian, here is a new convert, who is to be taught that his miraculous cure transcends all price, is above every thing that money could purchase. And, moreover, he is to see revealed religion in unclouded loveliness, in noble generosity, in total separation from the cupidity and covetousness of an earthly mind. And here was the great sin of Gehazi, that he did his best to tarnish this great principle. And notice, finally, his antipathy to sin-his abhorrence of it. There is strong feeling in the malediction which he pronounced on his servant: "The leprosy, therefore, of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever." Nothing is more dignified here, except, finally, THE PROPHET'S GOD. Many persons in all this narrative would overlook God; they would not see Deity in it at all. And yet the whole account is full of God. We see here his being and perfections as opposed to our own ignorance and feebleness. We see his sovereignty. Christ, referring to this narrative, says, that "many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus;" but God singled out one on whom he chose the benefit of cure. And he singles out, in like manner, those on whom he chooses to confer the benefits of salvation.

Then, here is the divine providence. God watched over this little maid as he did over Joseph. God superintended that wheel within the wheel, which gave occasion to all these ulterior movements. God commanded the account to be written in the holy Book: God holds it up to the eyes of all nations. God writes the Scriptures, and tells us to search the Scriptures; and has given me commandment for the duty done this day; and presents to your notice the facts and the principles which have been opened to you this day.

And finally, here is God's disapprobation of sin, and God's love of holiness: for he set his seal at once on the verdict of the prophet, and holds out the prophet to us, in his disinterestedness and integrity, as an example to be imitated and to be admired. Remove God from all these transactions, and the life is gone from the body, and the sun from the firmament. It is all full of God. And the end is this: That servants from all this should learn integrity, love of truth, and honesty. That masters should learn charity, courteousness, kindness, consolation. That God's ministers should learn disinterestedness, to avoid whatever is covetous, to stand perfectly free and clear from the love of money. And that every one of us should learn to put our trust in that kind and gracious Providence which sheltered and honoured the little maid; that kind and gracious Providence which, as we put our trust in it, will shadow every one of us with its wings; that Providence which watches the sparrow in its flight, the hero in his course, and guides the vessel to its destination. And to that God-Father, Son, and Holy Ghost-be present and eternal praises. Amen.

270

THE SUCCESS OF PETER AND JOHN IN PREACHING THE GOSPEL THE EFFECT OF PRAYER.

REV. W. JAY.

SURREY CHAPEL, MARCH 15, 1835.

"And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul; neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common."-Acrs, iv. 31, 32.

You read in the prophecies of God's "reviving his work in the midst of the years;" of "a set time to favour Zion;" and of " times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord." Such seasons as these, my brethren, are always interesting to the real Christian; and in reading history, he meets with them as a man travelling through a dry and sandy desert finds a few green, wellwatered spots, inviting his eye, and refreshing his foot, and relieving his thirst: and many of these seasons are recorded in the pages of inspiration. It was a blessed time when the Jews came out of Egypt; it was the kindness of their youth, "the love of their espousals: when they went after Thee in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown; and Israel was holiness to the Lord, and the firstfruits of his increase." It was a blessed time when, under the ministry of Samuel, all the house of Israel mourned after the Lord. It was a blessed time, too, when David, with the voice of joy and gladness, with the multitude of thei that kept holy day, fetched up the ark of the Lord from the house of Obed-Edom, and placed it in Jerusalem. It was a blessed time when Solomon dedicated the temple, and when that fine young pious prince led the devotions of the whole nation, and exclaimed, "Will God in very deed dwell with man upon the earth?" It was a blessed time when the Jews, returning from Babylon, laid the foundation of the second temple, and when also they brought forth the topstone thereof with shouting, crying, "Grace, grace unto it." It was a blessed time when John, the forerunner of the Messiah, preached the kingdom of God, and all men received it. But nothing will bear a comparison with the transactions recorded in the beginning of this book: you may peruse them at your leisure, for we shall not have time even to read them this evening; but must instantly call your attention to the words which I have read: "And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldAnd the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things that he possessed was his own; but they had all things common."

ness.

Let us consider the prayer, and the preaching, and the people.

First, THE PRAYER. "And when they had prayed." You may observe the occasion of the prayer. Peter and John had been apprehended, and brought before the council; but there they successfully defended themselves, and appealed to the miracles they had performed, adding, "No; we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done. For the man was above forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was shewed." Like not only begets like, but attracts like." And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them.” What did they and their brethren on this occasion? What did Hezekiah when he received the letter from Rabshakeh? He "carried it up into the temple, and spread it before the Lord." What did John's disciples, upon the murder of their master? They "took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus." What are you all enjoined to do in your distresses? "Call upon me in the day of trouble." "Is any afflicted? Let him pray." So the persecuted disciples immediately gave themselves to prayer.

We may observe the substance of the prayer. "And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice together with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. For of a truth, against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. And now, Lord, behold their threatenings and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, by stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done in the name of thy holy child Jesus." You cannot expect that I should enlarge upon the whole of this prayer: suffice it to observe, it was very seasonable, and very suitable, and very short, as all the prayers in the Bible are; for they never thought that they should be heard for their much speaking: they knew that God was in the heavens, and they upon the earth, and that therefore their words should be few.

But there was one thing in this prayer very exemplary: though they had been so evil entreated, yet they felt no disposition for revenge. They remembered the instructions of Him who had said, "Love your enemies; bless them that curse you." They had imbibed the spirit of Him "who when he was reviled, reviled not again, and when he suffered threatened not, but committed himself into the hands of him that judgeth righteously." And therefore, you see, they beseeched God to "stretch forth his hand"—not to strike and punish, but to heal.

And there was something very extraordinary in this prayer: though the Jews acted so wickedly in putting the Saviour to death, yet they did it "according to the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God." Now do you expect

from me a solution of this difficulty? Here is a chain thrown across a river; I can see the two opposite ends, but not the union in the midst: but were the chain raised, or the water lower, I could see the connexion as well as the extremities. "Secret things belong unto God; but things that are revealed belong to us and to our children." All our knowledge of the affair begins and ends here; God's foreknowledge and man's free agency harmonize really but inexplicably.

We have, then, the success of the prayer.

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Cowper has said,

"That were a grief I could not bear-
Didst thou not hear and answer prayer.

But a prayer-hearing, answering God,
Supports me under every load."

"And

And God never said to the seed of Jacob, "Seek ye my face in vain.” when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost." The sign of the acceptance of the prayer seems strange: "the place was shaken where they were assembled together. Now, we know it was common for the Jews and the heathen to consider every sudden, extraordinary concussion, as an intimation of the approach of Deity: but that the place should be shaken as if endangered by an earthquake, and as if trembling about their ears, seemed much more likely to produce dread than to gender hope. But so God would teach us, that he is greatly to be feared in the assembly of his saints; that he would be sanctified of all them that come nigh to him; that there was something awful, even in the dispensation of his mercy and his grace. He sometimes answers his people as the God of their salvation by terrible things. As Dr. Watts expresses it,

"Terrors attend the wond'rous way,
That brings our blessings down."

But how are we to understand the effect? 66 They were all filled with the IIoly Ghost." It has two references. It first refers to his extraordinary agency. This was now necessary in their circumstances; and they had already been enabled to speak suddenly many languages which they had never learned, and healed with a word a man lame from his mother's womb. Thus the grand seal of heaven was affixed to their commission. But though these extraordinary influences were then needful, they were not to be continued: indeed, if they had been continued, they would have been extraordinary no longer. The possession of them never was an evidence of the godliness of the possessor. Balaam prophesied as sublimely as ever Isaiah did; and Judas performed miracles as well as Peter and John. Many will be disowned by our Saviour in the last day, who will yet be able to plead, "Have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name done many wonderful works?" And, therefore, while you should not look for these now, you should not envy those who were the partakers of them. The Apostle says to the Corinthians, "Covet earnestly the best gifts and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way." That is, as he adds, "Seek after the possession of the graces of God's Spirit-faith, hope, and charity, these three; and remember that the greatest of these is charity. Seek to be filled with the Spirit as a teacher, an enlivener, a renewer, a comforter."

For, my brethren, you will observe, that the expression refers to the special

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influences of the Holy Ghost. These are here properly intended, when it is said, They were filled with the Holy Ghost." They were now called to fresh deeds, fresh difficulties, fresh dangers; and therefore they required fresh supplies of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. And their strength was made equal to their day; and they obtained accessions of illumination, and confidence, and courage, and peace, and joy, and were prepared to stand complete in all the will of God.

Secondly, THE PREACHING. "And they spake the word of God with boldness." The very thing, you see, which they had been praying for: "That we may speak the word of God with all boldness." The very thing Paul beseeches the Ephesians to implore on his behalf: "And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the Gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds, that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak." You here see the fortitude of these holy men; and in order to judge of it properly, you must consider the circumstances in which they now were. They were like lambs among wolves; their Master had been put to death, and they were hated of all men for his name's sake. They had to contend with those who possessed power and authority; and who were determined, if possible, to crush them. They knew not what a day or an hour might bring forth. They had been forbidden to speak; they had been menaced; they had been persecuted and imprisoned. But notwithstanding this, they spake the word with boldness. They knew that they had nothing to do with futurity; this belongs to God. They knew they had nothing to do with consequences ; they knew that "he who walketh uprightly walketh surely;" and that "the path of duty is the path of safety." They knew that if we stand by God, God will always stand by us; and that if we serve him, he will take care of us; of our persons, and our reputations too. You see how little these men were governed by the opinions of the people around them: you see that they did not walk in craftiness, nor handle the word of God deceitfully; nor appeal to the fancies and the wishes of the individuals before them; but by manifestation of the truth they commended themselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. Suppose a number of persons were to call on a minister on the Sabbath morning, and, being admitted into his study, one of them should say unto him, "I hope, Sir, you do not mean to-day to be severe against avarice; for I love

money, and my heart goes after my covetousness." And suppose another should

say, "I trust you will not be severe against backbiting: for my tongue walketh with slanderers; and I consider scandal to be the seasoning of all conversation." And suppose another should say, "Do not represent implacability as being inconsistent with divine forgiveness; for I never did forgive such an one, and I never will forgive him:" and so of the rest.-What would this minister say to these men? Why, if he was in a proper state of mind, he would say, "O thou child of the devil! thou heir of all unrighteousness! when wilt thou cease to pervert the right ways of God? Get thee behind me, Satan, for thou art an offence unto me; for thou savourest not of the things that be of God, but of those that be of man." Our people are not likely to address us in this way: no, they will be restrained by fear or shame. Those are your wishes; this is the meaning of many of you; but if the minister be a man of God, he will say

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