was life-knowledge. That is the only knowledge that invests the soul with power. What can we know of spiritual life without it? A famous military surgeon once got hold of a subject with a wound in his side so extraordinary, that after it was healed by an almost miracle, there remained an opening into the stomach, through which articles of food could be introduced, and the process of digestion by the gastric juice could in some respects be watched as it went on. Did it help him in the least to understand the mystery of life? Or could the sight of another man's digestion, or the scientific study of the phenomena, give the observer any hold upon the living principle, any command over it, or supply the exercise of it in his own vital organs? If this be a somewhat crude and rude illustration, it is nevertheless powerful. No external knowledge will supply the place of inward experience and life. Neither the analysis of the elements of truth, nor the sight of its effect upon others, will ever enable us to understand it as life, without ourselves eating it, taking it up into the spiritual circulation, and possessing the life of the Spirit within us. If, as with Paul, it please God "to reveal his Son in us that we might preach him,” then we are prepared to preach him, but not otherwise; and this preparation with us must be as entirely and originally by the Spirit of God as it was with Paul, or we are wholly ignorant of the living Word, and of all living theology. The sermons of Dr. Walker, here presented anew, are living truth. They are much occupied with Christ and his glory; his glory in himself, and the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and the glory of their inheritance in him. They also search the heart, both of the sinner and the saint, the converted and the unconverted, and they sweetly illustrate and commend the various branches of Christian experience and duty. There is nothing redundant or superfluous, either in style, thought, or imagery, but every thing is appropriate, and every thing tells. SERMONS. SERMON I. Preached in the High Church of Edinburgh, May 5, 1761, at the opening of the Synod of Lothian and Tweeddale. CHRISTIAN HEROISM. tance of it to the ministers of Christ, are the purposes aimed at in the following discourse. The first thing that demands our attention, is the amiable temper expressed in these words: Now we live, if ye stand 1 THESSALONIANS III. 8.-"For now we live, if fast in the Lord. ye stand fast in the Lord." THE author of this epistle is introduced into the sacred history with other sentiments and views than these words express. He makes his first appearance at a scene of blood, consenting to the death of a holy martyr, and keeping the raiment of them that slew him. Soon after, we hear of him making havoc of the church of Christ in Jerusalem, entering into every house, and dragging both men and women to prison; nay, such was the excess and fury of his zeal, that, breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, he persecuted them even unto strange cities: "I verily thought," said he, in the presence of Agrippa, "that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth." But here we behold a new creature indeed! What things were formerly gain to Paul, these he counts loss for Christ; the once hated name of Jesus is now become dearer to him than life itself; and he who in times past persecuted the saints, now glories in the cross, and preaches the faith he had endeavored to destroy. In my text, he discovers a temper of most distinguished excellence; a temper, my reverend Fathers and Brethren, which I hope we shall not barely applaud, but earnestly covet and endeavor, by the grace of God, to possess. To unfold the peculiar excellence of this temper, and to illustrate the impor The general meaning of the passage is obvious: It contains an obliging and spirited declaration of the apostle's goodwill to the Christians at Thessalonica. But if we attend to his situation when he wrote this epistle, and place ourselves in the circumstances of those to whom it was addressed, we shall feel an emphasis in the word now, that gives a surprising addition both to the tenderness and dig nity of his sentiment and expression. Had the time referred to been a season of prosperity; had Paul, in the height of worldly felicity, meant no more than to assure the Thessalonians, that amidst all his affluence, he kindly remembered them; and though at present beyond the need of wishing any thing for himself, yet that the report of their steadfastness, and the hope of its continuance, had made a considerable addition to his happiness, and heightened his relish for the good things he possessed: even upon this supposition, I apprehend, the particle now, would justly be deemed emphatical, and worthy to be accented. But with what force must it strike us, when we find that it refers to a season of adversity! Paul, at the time of writing this epistle, was a poor, afflicted, solitary man; banished from his friends, living among strangers, laboring with his own hands for a scanty subsistence, and destitute of almost every earthly comfort. All this the Thessalonians knew full well. With grief they had beheld his thing that is commonly celebrated by that name among men. Would we behold heroism in its fairest and most exalted form, instead of looking for it among those whom the world hath styled heroes, we shall succeed far better if we turn our eyes to Paul of Tarsus. sufferings in their own city, when "the | beauty, belonging to it, superior to any unbelieving Jews, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort," and raised such an uproar, as obliged them to send him away by night into Berea. They further knew, that the same unbelieving and envious Jews, upon hearing that he preached with success at Berea, had followed him thither also, and Where shall we find such determined so inflamed the multitude against him, courage, such cool intrepidity, and conthat he found it necessary to retire as far tempt of danger, as in this good and faithas Athens, to get beyond the reach of his ful soldier of Christ? Behold," said unrelenting persecutors. Judge then with he to the elders of the church at Ephesus, what emotion they would read this strong," Behold, I go bound in the spirit unto this endearing profession of his concern for their welfare; they who, under God, owed their conversion to his ministry, and to whom, as I just now observed, his past sufferings on their own account, and his present distress, were perfectly known. He had told them a little before, that the bitterest ingredient in all his afflictions, was the apprehension he had, that his sufferings might have a tendency to shake their faith, and to prejudice their minds against the gospel of Christ: "For this cause," says he, "I sent to know your faith, lest, by some means, the tempter have tempted you, and our labor be in vain. But when Timotheus returned, and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity, we were comforted over you, in all our affliction and distress, by your faith." And then he adds, For now, even at this present time, distressed and afflicted as we are, yet now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord. Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there; save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying, that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I may finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God."-Acts xx. 22. With what invincible fortitude did he triumph over adversity in every frightful shape! with what noble freedom and independence of spirit, did he exult amidst those sufferings of which human nature hath the greatest abhorrence! " Even unto this hour," says he in his letters to the Corinthians, we both hunger and thirst, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling-place; we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; Here then the purest zeal for the hon- we are preplexed, but not in despair; or of his Master, and the most generous persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, love to the souls of men, are happily but not destroyed; as deceivers, and yet united, and feelingly expressed in the true; as unknown, and yet well known; native language of a warm and upright as dying, and behold we live; as chastenheart. I say the purest zeal and the ed, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet almost generous love; for no tincture of sel-ways rejoicing; as poor, yet making many fishness appears in either: if Christ is rich; as having nothing, and yet possessglorified, if men are saved, Paul obtains ing all things.' his utmost wish; his happiness is independent of every thing else; he enjoys all that in his own estimation is worthy to be accounted life, if his spiritual children stand fast in the Lord. And what was it that supported and enlivened his mind under such a load of complicated distress? Hear the account he gave of it to Timothy, which exactly agrees with the declaration in my text: And is not this a temper of most dis-"I endure all things for the elect's sake, tinguished excellence? When I called it amiable, I only spoke the half of its praise; it hath a dignity, as well as a that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory."-2 Tim. ii. 10. Paul denied him self for the good of others, and cheerfully renounced every temporal interest to promote the eternal happiness of men. With what a graceful mixture of majesty and meekness does he appeal to the Thessalonians in the foregoing part of this epistle! "Our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile but as we are allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts. For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloak of covetousness; God is witness nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others; but we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children: so, being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel only, but our own souls also, because ye were dear to us. For what is our hope, our joy, our crown of rejoicing, are not even ye, in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? for ye are our glory and joy." And what can attract our love, what can merit our esteem, what can excite our admiration, if such a temper doth not? A temper which, to all the magnanimity of the hero, unites all the piety and benevolence of the saint. But it will not avail us barely to esteem or admire this temper: it is necessary, my Brethren, that we ourselves be possessed of it. I shall therefore proceed, as I proposed, in the Second place, To illustrate the importance of this excellent temper; the peculiar importance of it to the ministers of Christ. And, 1st. It is of importance to guard us against that self-deceit to which, of all men in the world, we are most exposed. The office we hold removes us at a greater distance than other men from any of those temptations to gross and scandalous sins, which wound the conscience, and divulge the secret corruptions of the heart; so that mere decency of conduct may pass with us for real sanctity; and what is purely the effect of restraint from without, may be mistaken by us for the product of a new nature within. Besides, the stated duties that belong to our office frequently contribute to cherish this presumption. God may enable us to deliver his message with becoming warmth and propriety, for the sake of those committed to our care; and his word, though uttered by unhallowed lips, may enter with power and efficacy into the hearts of our hearers. It is an awful truth, that if we measure ourselves either by our manner of performing, or even by the effects that follow our public ministrations, we shall often be liable to err very fatally. Paul thought it possible that one might preach to the saving of others, and after all be a cast-away; and I can easily conceive, that the preaching to others may, through want of attention on our part, be in some measure the cause of it. The assistance afforded us in our Master's work, may lead us to form a better opinion of our spiritual condition than is either reasonable or safe; and therefore we have greater need to look frequently and narrowly into our hearts, lest the gifts we receive for the use of the church should pass with us for those peculiar graces of the Spirit, which prove our adoption into the family of God, and manifest our title to the heavenly inheritance. But did our souls burn with that fervent zeal for the glory of God, and that vehement thirst for salvation of men, which fired the generous breast of this apostle, we should be in no danger of judging too favorably of ourselves. Such high aims would cause our most vigorous efforts to appear so little in our own eyes, that, instead of yielding fuel to our pride, they would rather afford us matter of self-abasement, as bearing no proportion, either to the duty we owe, or the exalted felicity to which we aspire. Conscious of our weakness, how earnestly should we then address God for the influences of his Spirit, to aid us in our work, and to impart virtue and efficacy to the means we employ ! at the same time, with what holy severity should we examine the most secret recesses of our hearts, lest any root of bitterness should find indulgence there, that might either unfit us for service, or mar our usefulness, by provoking God to withhold that grace upon which both our ability and success depend! And, 2dly. The importance of this temper will further appear from the influence it would have upon our public ministrations. It would make us better preachers as well as better men. We should never be at a loss for proper subjects of discourse. This, you must be sensible, is not always the case. Most of us, I suppose, will have the candor to acknowledge, that we have frequently spent more time in seeking a text, than might reasonably have sufficed to compose a sermon; and we shall probably find, upon a fair recollection, that this waste of time has happened most commonly when we set out in preparing for our public work, with no other view than to make a sermon. Fancy is a roving capricious guide; but, when necessity prescribes, it always speaks with precision. We may know with certainty what our people need, when we can only imperfectly guess at what will please them; so that, did the necessities of our hearers get the disposal of our studies, we should seldom hesitate long in the choice of our subjects; and, give me leave to add, we should more frequently preach the same necessary truths, and press them from time to time, with redoubled earnestness, till they appeared to have obtained their full effect upon the hearts of those committed to our care. Nor is this all. The temper I am recommending would assist us in forming and pronouncing our sermons, no less than in choosing the most profitable subjects. As it would reject all useless, unedifying speculations, so it would effectually banish those gaudy ornaments which too often put the preacher in the place of his text; or, as one hath well expressed it, serve only to evaporate weighty truths, and to make them appear as light as the style. Had we no other aim than to guide our hearers in the way of heaven, perspicuity and persuasion would then become the sole objects of our attention; and these, I apprehend, are more within every man's reach than is commonly imagined. I never knew any person much at a loss, feelingly and intelligibly, to impart to others what he greatly feared, or loved, or hated. Rules of art have their use; but though art hath collected rules, it was Nature that furnished them. Both order and elocution are the offspring of a warm and understanding heart. Let us only feel to purpose, and then we shall speak with propriety and energy. Did we, like Paul, travail as in birth till Christ were formed in the souls of men, would not our tongue be as the pen of a ready writer? Did we consider that we speak in the name of God; that we speak to the creatures of God; to them, I say, and not merely before them; that we publish those truths by which only they can be saved, and proclaim that law by which they shall be judged; did we consider that they and we are fast hastening to judgment, and that neither of us can know how soon the summons of removal may be put into our hands; what shall I say? would not Elihu's situation become ours, when he thus expressed himself, "I am full of matter, the spirit within me constraineth me: behold my belly is as wine that hath no vent; it is ready to burst like new bottles; I will speak that I may be refreshed.' Job xxxii. 18, 19, 20. Nay, my brethren, with such great objects in our eye, we should not only speak, but we should speak as Elihu resolved to do in the following part of the quotation, we should speak with an honest and impartial freedom; for thus he goes on; "Let me not, I pray you, accept any man's person, neither let me give flattering titles unto man; for I know not to give flattering titles; in so doing, my Maker would soon take me away.' 3dly. This temper would likewise have a happy influence upon all the parts of our external conduct. We should not think it enough to abstain from evil; we should carefully avoid every thing that had the appearance of evil, that our conduct might have nothing in it of a doubtful nature, nothing ambiguous, or that needed to be explained. He lives, alas! at a poor rate, and far below the dignity of his sacred office, who is frequently put to it to vindicate his conduct, and to prove that he hath not exceeded his Christian liberty. A minister of Christ ought to go before his people in every thing that is true, just, pure, lovely, and of good report. His light ought to shine in the eyes of men; nay, to shine with such strength, that they may see his good works, and be constrained to glorify his Father in heaven. A holy life is the most persuasive sermon, expressed too in a language which |