with his blood, your wants with his fulness, your unbelief with his faithfulness, your weakness with his strength, your inconstancy with his everlasting love. If the Lord opens the eyes of your understanding, you would be astonished at the comparison. Would you compare a small grain of sand upon the shore with the massy mountains which hide their heads in the clouds, and spread their roots from sea to sea? or the spark of a glow-worm with the noon-day sun? yet there is less disproportion between these, than between the utmost capacity of your desires and wants, and the immense resources provided for you, in the righteousness, compassion, and power of our dear Redeemer. "He is "able to save to the uttermost*;" and all our trouble arises chiefly from this, that our eyes are holden, so that we do not know him. Therefore the first step towards opening the lips is to open our eyes, that we may see him, and look upon him by such a sight as unloosed the tongue of unbelieving Thomas, and constrained him to cry out, "My Lord and my God!" 2. When the eyes are thus opened, the Lord, in the next place, and by that as a means, opens the ear. When Christ is out of sight, we are deaf to all the calls, invitations, and promises of the Scripture. But a believing view of him who died that we might live, rouses the attention, and makes us willing and able to hear what the Lord will speak § to his people. And what does he say from the cross?" Look unto me, and be 66 ye saved. If I be lifted up, I will draw all men to (6 me. Behold my hands, my feet, my pierced side; "all this I bore for you. Be not afraid, only believe. * Heb. vii. 25. + Luke, xxiv. 16. John, xx. 28 "O thou of little faith, wherefore dost thou doubt? See, sinner, how I have loved thee. I have trodden "the wine-press alone. I have destroyed death, and "him that had the power of death. There is hence"forth no condemnation to them that believe in me And what does he say from his kingdom? "I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not. For a season you have sorrow; but I will see you again, "and your heart shall rejoice. Him that cometh to me, I will in nowise cast out. I am the first and "the last; that was dead and am alive. I keep the keys of death and hell, and save whom I will. Cast thy burden upon me, I will sustain thee. I will take 66 away thy iniquity. Be of good cheer, thy sins are "forgiven thee. Go in peace, and sin no moret." My Saviour, my God, what words are these! 3. By opening the eye to see his excellence and power, and the ear to hear his gracious words, he, in the next place, opens the heart. He breaks the prison-doors, forces for himself an entrance, and sets the prisoner at liberty. He touches the rock, and the waters flow. Now a true and filial repentance takes place; now sin appears exceedingly sinful indeed. There was a sorrow before, but it was fruitless and ineffectual; but the sight of him who was pierced for our sins, and the welcome sound of pardon proclaimed in the conscience, produce a sorrow after a godly sort, a repentance never to be repented of. Thus it was with the woman who washed our Lord's feet; she had been * Isa. xlv. 22.; John, xii. 22.; John, xx. 27.; Mark, v. 36. Matth. xiv. 31.; Isa. lxiii. 3.; Heb. ii. 14.; Rom. viii. 1. + Luke, xxii. 32.; John, xvi. 22.; John, vi. 37.; Rev. i. 17, 18.; Psal. lv. 22.; Micah, vii. 19.; Matth. ix. 2.; John, viii. 11. Psal. lxxviii. 20. § Luke, vii. 38. 47. a great sinner, much was forgiven her, and therefore she loved much. Thus it was with Peter: he had been a grievous backslider; he had been with Jesus upon the mount, and saw the excellent glory; he was stout in his protestation, "Though all men deny thee, yet "will not I:" but he shrunk at the voice of a girl, and said, "I know not the man." When the servants spoke to him, he cursed and swore; but when Jesus looked upon him, he wept*. Do you think our Lord looked upon him with disdain and indignation? rather with a look of love; a look that at once convinced him of his sin, and gave him to understand that the Lord pitied and forgave him. This look broke his heart in pieces. He went out, and wept bitterly. And afterwards, though greatly humbled as to confidence in himself, yet, when asked the question, he could boldly appeal to the searcher of hearts, "Lord, thou knowest all things, "thou knowest that I love theet." And when the eyes, the ears, the heart, are thus opened; when the understanding is enlightened, the will engaged, and the affections inflamed, the cure is wrought. Then the lips will open of course, and the mouth be filled with thanksgiving and praise. O that it would please the Lord to give to me, and to each of you, a clearer knowledge of this blessed change from heart-felt experience, than is in the power of words (of my poor words especially) to describe! "Come," my friends," let us return unto the Lord: for he "hath wounded, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, "and he will bind us up." Verily we are all guilty in this matter; we have all provoked him by unbelief, * Luke, xxii. 61, 62. VOL. II. ↑ John, xxi. 17. ↑ Hosea, vi. 1. 2 P and wandering from his good way; and therefore we live so far below our privileges, and are so often heavy and sorrowful, when we have in him grounds of continual joy. Now let us unite in this prayer, "O Lord, open thou our lips, display thy power in the midst of 66 us, heal all our breaches, rend the veil of our unbe"lief, blot out the thick clouds of our sins, cleanse us "from all our iniquities and idols, and teach our stammering tongues, and barren hearts, to show forth the praise of thy abundant goodness." I proceed to observe, in the last place, IV. That if the Lord is pleased to answer our desire, and to open your lips in this manner, then you will surely praise him. You will praise him with your mouths, and in your lives; you will thankfully acknowledge his mercy, his power, and his wisdom. 1. You will praise his mercy. Is the cooling stream welcome to the thirsty soul? is a reprieve acceptable to a poor condemned malefactor? still more welcome is a sense of pardoning love to a soul that has felt the evil and effects of sin. What! to be taken from the dungihill*, and made a companion with princes! to have all our guilt and complaints removed at once! to be snatched as it were from the brink of hell, and placed in the very suburbs of heaven! to be able to say, "O Lord "thou wast [justly] angry with me, [and I went mourn ing under a sense of thy displeasure]; but [now] "thine: anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst "met" is not this a mercy? especially considering how undeserving we are of the smallest favour! And farther, the way in which it was conveyed! that the pardon, though free to us, is a pardon "bought with "blood" that it cost the Lord Jesus his life, his soul, to effect that blessed reconciliation in which we are beginning to rejoice! Still more, that all we can now receive of his love is but a taste, a small thing, in comparison of what he has reserved for us! O what mercy is here! O what thanks does it call for! "O Lord, open thou our lips, and our mouth shall show forth thy praise." 86 2. You will praise his power. I thought, says the poor soul at such a time, I was fallen so low that there was no help. The more I toiled and laboured in my own strength, the farther the blessing seemed from me. I know, by experience, that none but an almighty arm could relieve me. Creatures, means, and contrivances I had tried, and tried again, but found them all physi cians of no value. But now, "the right hand of the "Lord has done wonderfully, the right hand of the "Lord has brought mighty things to pass *." "What "shall I say? he hath both spoken himself, and also "hath done it.". The work is his; to him be all the glory. I got not this victory by my own bow, neither did my own arm save me; but the Lord himself has "been pleased to show the exceeding greatness § of his mighty power in my behalf." Therefore, "not unto us, but unto thy name, O Lord, be the glory and the praise." 66 66 3. You will praise his wisdom. our Lord to Peter, "What I do," said thou knowest not now, but thou "shalt know hereafter **" The mourning soul often asks the question with David, "I will say unto God, *Ps. cxviii. 15, 16. § Ephes. i. 19. + Is. xxxviii. 15.. + Ps. xliv. 6. Ps. cxv. 1. ** John, xiii. 7. |