the Lord*. Salvation is of the Lord, in every fenfe; the plan, the price, the power, the application, the confummation. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the author and the object of it. The praise therefore is wholly due to him, and he claims it. To this claim his people fully confent. It is the defire of their fouls, that his name, which alone is excellent, may alone be extolled. And with one heart and voice they fay, Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thee, be all the glory, and all the praise † ! If we truly understand and approve thefe things, then we are certainly engaged for God, and of courfe, he is for us. For he alone could either enable us to fee them in their true light, or incline our hearts to embrace them. Who then can be against us? II. We are not to understand the question, Who can be against us? as designed to encourage us to expect, that they who have the Lord on their fide, will meet with no oppofition; but that all oppofition against them will be in vain. I. They whom God is for, will, on that very account, have many oppofers. * 1 Cor. i. 31. + Pf. cxv. 1. 1. The men of the world. This our Lord exprefly teaches us to expect. If ye were of the world, the world would love its own. But because ye are not of the world, but I have chofen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you*. And his apostle, Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you †. Till we declare for him, the world will bear with us, but no longer as the Gibeonites. were in a state of honour and friendship with the neighbouring cities, till they submitted to Joshua ; but when they obtained peace from him, they were immediately involved in war with their former friends. While Saul perfecuted the church, the world fmiled upon him, and he feemed to be, as we say, in the way of preferment. But when he yielded himself to the service of Christ, and his defection from the common caufe became generally known, bonds and afflictions awaited him in every place; and they who before had employed and careffed him, fought his life. I do not mean to found a trumpet of defiance. I believe that young converts, by their warm, but injudicious zeal, often more than is neceffary, provoke the fpirit of the * John xv. 19. + 1 John iii. 14. Joshua x. 1-4. world, world, and thereby increase their own difficulties. The gospel, when rightly understood, infpires a fpirit of benevolence, and directs to a conduct, which is suited to conciliate goodwill and esteem. And when the apostle exhorts us, If it be poffible, and as much as in us lies, to live peaceably with all men*, he gives us hope that much may be done, to foften prejudices, to put to filence the ignorance of foolish men, and to make them at least ashamed, by a patient perfeverance in well-doing. A confiftent christian, whose integrity, humility and philanthropy, mark his character, and adorn his profeffion, will, in time, command refpect; but his attachment to unfashionable truths, and his separation from the maxims and pursuits of the will render him, in their eyes, fingumany, lar and precife, weak and enthusiastic. If they fay, “He is a good fort of man, but "has fome strange peculiarities," it is the most favourable judgment he can hope for; and from fome perfons, and at fome times, he will meet with tokens of a settled dislike. For though a religious character may formed, which even the world will approve, * Rom. xii. 18. be ye yet all who will live godly in Christ Jefus, muft fuffer perfecution*. They walk in the midst of obfervers, who watch for their halting, who lay fnares for their feet, and will endeavour to bribe or intimidate them, to forfake the path of duty. It is difficult to ftem the torrent, or to avoid the infection of the world; and to live fuperior to the fear of man, as becomes us, if we know whose we are, and whom we ferve. But though difficult, it is practicable and attainable, and actually attained by believers; for this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith t. 1 2. The powers of darkness. Satan will not, ordinarily, trouble, while he bears rule. He is indeed an enemy to his own fervants, and feeks their deftruction, both foul and body, by pushing them on in fin, which, if perfifted in, will prove their ruin; but while they make no resistance, he gives them no disturbance. It is otherwise with those whom the Lord has freed from his bondage. He will pursue them, like a lion seeking his prey ‡, and lie in wait for them like a ferpent in the * 2 Tim. iii. 12. + 1 John v. 4. + 1 Pet. v. 8. path. path. This is one caufe of the world's hatred; for the scripture ftyles him the god of this world, and he fets all that he can influence, tongues, and pens, and swords, against those who are on the Lord's fide. Therefore the people of God may be known by two marks. Satan, by himself and by his instruments, fights against them. And they also fight against him. The former, without the lat ter, is not conclufive. A mere outward profeffion of religion may excite opposition, and mere pretenders may take pleasure in it for a time, if it does not come too close. It may feed their vanity, and give them a fort of confequence, by having sufferings to talk of. But I would entreat my hearers, seriously to examine, Is your heart really fet against fin, which is the strength of Satan's kingdom? Are you against his will and interest in the world? Have you renounced his service? If fo, fear not. God is for you, and none can harm you. For, II. No oppofition can prevail against us, if God be for us. It is impoffible to deny, or even to doubt, this truth, upon the prin * 2 Cor. iv. 4. |