shall prepare my way before me: And the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple." (Verse 1.) How manifestly was this fulfilled, first, by the coming of John the Baptist; and then by our blessed Lord himself "coming suddenly to his temple!" And what sign could be clearer to those that impartially considered the words of the Prophet Isaiah: (xl. 3:) "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight?"

4. But yet clearer signs than these (if any could be clearer) were the mighty works that he wrought. Accordingly, he himself declares, "The works which I do, they testify of me." And to these he explicitly appeals in his answer to the question of John the Baptist: (Not proposed, as some have strangely imagined, from any doubt which he had himself, but from a desire of confirming his disciples, who might possibly waver when their Master was taken from their head :)" Art thou he that should come," the Messiah, or look we for another ?" No bare verbal answer could have been so convincing as what they saw with their own eyes. Jesus therefore referred them to this testimony: "He answered and said unto them, Go, and show John the things which ye hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached unto them." (Matt. xi. 4, 5.)

66

5. But how then came it to pass that those who were so sharpsighted in other things, who could "discern the face of the sky,” were not able to discern those signs which indicated the coming of the Messiah? They could not discern them, not for want of evidence,—this was full and clear,—but for want of integrity in themselves; because they were a "wicked and adulterous generation;" because the perverseness of their hearts spread a cloud over their understanding. Therefore, although the Sun of Righteousness shone bright, yet they were insensible of it. They were not willing to be convinced: Therefore they remained in ignorance. The light was sufficient; but they shut their eyes that they might not see it: So that they were without excuse, till vengeance came upon them to the uttermost.

II. 1. We are, in the Second place, to consider what are the times which we have reason to believe are now at hand. And hów is it that all who are called Christians do not discern the signs of these times?

The times which we have reason to believe are at hand (if they are not already begun) are what many pious men have termed the time of "the latter day glory;" meaning the time wherein God would gloriously display his power and love in the fulfilment of his gracious promise, that "the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth, as the waters cover the sea."

2. "But are there in England, or in any part of the world, any signs of such a time approaching?" It is not many years since, that a person of considerable learning, as well as eminence in the Church, (then Bishop of London,) in his Pastoral Letter, made this observation:-" I cannot imagine what persons mean, "I by talking of a great work of God at this time. I do not see any work of God now, more than has been at any other time." I believe it: I believe that great man did not see any extraordi nary work of God. Neither he, nor the generality of Christians, so called, saw any signs of the glorious day that is approaching. But how is this to be accounted for? How is it that those who can now discern the face of the sky," who are not only great philosophers, but great divines, as eminent as ever the Sadducees, yea, or the Pharisees were, do not discern the signs of those glorious times which, if not begun, are nigh, even at the door?

66

3. We allow, indeed, that in every age of the Church, "the kingdom of God came not with observation;" not with splendour and pomp, or with any of those outward circumstances which usually attend the kingdoms of this world. We allow this "kingdom of God is within us;" and that, consequently, when it begins, either in an individual or in a nation, it “is like a grain of mustard-seed," which at first "is the least of all seeds," but nevertheless gradually increases, till "it becomes a great tree. Or, to use the other comparison of our Lord, it is like "a little leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened."

4. But may it not be asked, "Are there now any signs that the day of God's power is approaching?" I appeal to every candid, unprejudiced person, whether we may not, at this day, discern all those signs (understanding the words in a spiritual sense) to which our Lord referred John's disciples? "The blind receive their sight:" Those who were blind from their birth, unable to see their own deplorable state, and much more to see God, and the remedy he has prepared for them in the Son

66

籃

of his love, now see themselves, yea, and "the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." The eyes of their under- . standing being now opened, they see all things clearly." The deaf hear:" Those that were before utterly deaf to all the outward and inward calls of God, now hear, not only his providential calls, but also the whispers of his grace." The lame walk:" Those who never before arose from the earth, or moved one step toward heaven, are now walking in all the ways of God; yea, running "the race that is set before them."-" The lepers are cleansed:" The deadly leprosy of sin, which they brought with: them into the world, and which no art of man could ever cure, is now clean departed from them. And surely never in any age or nation, since the Apostles, have those words been so eminently fulfilled, "The poor have the gospel preached unto them," as it is at this day. At this day the gospel leaven, faith working by love,-inward and outward holiness,-or, (to use the terms of St. Paul,) "righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost," -hath so spread in various parts of Europe, particularly in England, Scotland, Ireland, in the Islands, in the North and South, from Georgia to New-England, and Newfoundland, that sinners have been truly converted to God, thoroughly changed both in heart and in life; not by tens, or by hundreds only, but by thousands, yea, by myriads! The fact cannot be denied: We can point out the persons, with their names and places of abode. And yet the wise men of the world, the men of eminence, the men of learning and renown," cannot imagine what we mean by talking of any extraordinary work of God!" They cannot discern the signs of these times! They can see no sign at all of God's arising to maintain his own cause, and set up his kingdom over the earth!

5. But how may this be accounted for? How is it, that they cannot discern the signs of these times? We may account for their want of discernment on the same principle, we accounted for that of the Pharisees and Sadducees; namely, that they likewise are, what those were, an "adulterous and sinful generation." If their eye was single, their whole body would be full of light: But suppose their eye be evil, their whole body must be full of darkness. Every evil temper darkens the soul; every evil passion clouds the understanding. How then can we expect that those should be able to discern the signs of the times who are full of all disorderly passions, and slaves to every evil tem

per? But this is really the case. They are full of pride: They think of themselves far more highly than they ought to think. They are vain: They "seek honour one of another, and not the honour that cometh of God only." They cherish hatred and malice in their hearts: They give place to anger, to envy, to revenge: They return evil for evil, and railing for railing. Instead of overcoming evil with good, they make no scruple of demanding an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. They 66 savour not the things that are of God, but the things that are of men." They set their affections, not on things above, but on the things that are of the earth. They "love the creature more than the Creator:" They are "lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God." How then should they discern the signs of the times? The god of this world, whom they serve, has blinded their hearts, and covered their minds with a veil of thick darkness. Alas, what have these "souls of flesh and blood” (as one speaks) to do with God, or the things of God?

6. St. John assigns this very reason for the Jews not under-, standing the things of God; namely, that in consequence of their preceding sins, and wilful rejecting the light, God had now delivered them up to Satan, who had blinded them past recovery. Over and over, when they might have seen, they would not; they shut their eyes against the light: And now they cannot see, God having given them up to an undiscerning mind: Therefore they do not believe, because that Isaiah said, (that is, because of the reason given in that saying of Isaiah,) “ He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their hearts, that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, and be converted, and I should heal them." The plain meaning is, not that God did this by his own immediate power; it would be flat blasphemy to say that God, in this sense, hardens any man; but his Spirit strives with them no longer, and then Satan hardens them effectually.

7. And as it was with them in ancient times, so it is with the present generation. Thousands of those who bear the name of Christ are now given up to an undiscerning mind. The god of this world hath so blinded their eyes, that the light cannot shine upon them; so that they can no more discern the signs of the times, than the Pharisees and Sadducees could of old. A wonderful instance of this spiritual blindness, this total inability to discern the signs of the times mentioned in Scripture, is given

us in the very celebrated work of a late eminent writer; who supposes the New Jerusalem came down from heaven, when Constantine the Great called himself a Christian. I say, called himself a Christian; for I dare not affirm that he was one, any more than Peter the Great. I cannot but believe he would have come nearer the mark, if he had said, that was the time when a huge cloud of infernal brimstone and smoke came up from the bottomless pit! For surely there never was a time wherein Satan gained so fatal an advantage over the Church of Christ, as when such a flood of riches, and honour, and power broke in upon it, particularly on the Clergy.

8. By the same rule, what signs would this writer have expected of the approaching conversion of the Heathens? He would, doubtless, have expected a hero, like Charles of Sweden, or Frederick of Prussia, to carry fire, and sword, and Christianity through whole nations at once! And it cannot be denied, that, since the time of Constantine, many nations have been converted in this way. But could it be said concerning such conversions as these, "The kingdom of heaven cometh not with observation ?" Surely every one must observe a warrior rushing through the land, at the head of fifty or sixty thousand men! But is this the way of spreading Christianity, which the Author of it, the Prince of Peace, has chosen? Nay, it is not in this manner that a grain of mustard-seed grows up into a great tree. It is not thus that a little leaven leavens the whole lump. Rather, it spreads by degrees farther and farther, till the whole is leavened. We may form a judgment of what will be hereafter, by what we have seen already. And this is the way wherein true Christian religion, the faith that worketh by love, has been spreading, particularly through Great Britain and its dependencies, for half a century.

9. In the same manner it continues to spread at the present time also, as may easily appear to all those whose eyes are not blinded. All those that experience in their own hearts the power of God unto salvation, will readily perceive how the same religion which they enjoy is still spreading from heart to heart. They take knowledge of the same grace of God, strongly and sweetly working on every side; and rejoice to find another and another sinner, first inquiring, "What must I do to be saved?"-and then testifying, "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit doth rejoice in God my Saviour." Upon a fair and candid