not upon the ground of external appear- | churches. Surely the individuals reances" but with righteousness shall ferred to, ought to have been turned out He judge the poor, and reprove with to have been discarded. Amputation equity for the meek of the earth: and was necessary. It is a difficult matter, He shall smite the earth with the rod of to "suffer" what is wrong in a family, or His mouth, and with the breath of His in the church of Christ, without, in some lips shallHe slay the wicked"-(hearken, way or other, being implicated ourselves. my hearers) and righteousness shall That man is wrong who sees things be the girdle of His loins, and faithful- amiss in his family, and does not exercise ness the girdle of His reins. If his influence to correct them. you can read this painful part of our text, which contains our Lord's address to Thyatira, and not see this verified, I can only lament your ignorance of Him. " That man is wrong, who exercises a silent connivanee. This may be carried into society in its various ramifications, and may be carried into the church of Jesus Christ, and is so, when there is a laxity We called your attention last Lord'sday, to the things the Redeemer ap-in its discipline. proved of in this church, and considered the progressive character of those who composed it. Our Lord comes now to exhibit articles of impeachment. Notwithstanding all their excellencies, they were far from being "perfect." "I have a few things against thee." Let us, with patience and devout attention, consider the portion we have now before us, while we notice the things of which the Saviour accuses them the excellency of His own patience the awful threatening He denounces-and His fixed determination, that all the churches should recognise His Divine character, combined with the impartial administration of His justice. If these are not things before which we ought to bow, I am at a loss to know what can command the homage of our hearts and engage our attention. Now our Lord says, in the first place, "I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel," &c. It is not said, abstractedly, I have a few things against Jezebel,' but "against thee;" against this very church, whose excellencies He so much approved of. But, then, I suppose you ask, 'What propriety is there in censuring the righteous for the crimes of the ungodly?' Never ask the infidel question, "Am I my brother's keeper?" | They suffered these things to be; this it was, that constituted their sin. "Thou sufferest that woman Jezebel." A church may be on the brink of losing the presence and glory of the Redeemer, if it can suffer," if it can (though silently,) connive at, things contrary to God and godliness. This has been the burden of complaint we have had occasion to dwell upon, while going through these lectures-a want of discipline in these Further; our Lord says-" Thou suf ferest that woman Jezebel, who calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce My servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols." I speak hyperbolically; but there are a thousand conjectures about this woman; and were you to consult every expositor, you would still be under an uncertainty, unless you would consent to pin your belief on any writer, without considering for yourselves. I therefore think, whether this was not some lordly mistress, some domineering woman of influence, originally the wife of some Simon Magus, or married to an officer in the church, or to some leading character. I dismiss these questions, because the probability is, our enlarging on them can afford no mental improvement to you or me. It appears to me, here is a character assumed, though taken from real life. In the book of Kings, we read of a wicked woman named Jezebel, who caused so much mischief in society. I should suppose a faction here, and that error was introduced; that some were so far led astray, as to commit fornication, and actually to eat things sacrificed to idols. Alas! that there should ever be such things mixed up with Christian society! Impurity sanctioned by the professed worshippers of the only living and true God! I do not suppose that this was the only church that had these spots in its feasts of charity. There were some no doubt in the church at Corinth. Do you not remember the manner in which the apostle addressed that church? "What concord," he asks, "hath Christ with Belial?"-"Come out from among them and be separate." That mode of address seems to carry the presumption, that there were some, whose sentiments and character I dare not go into, because it is such a sink of impurity. Here you have an assumed character. Various nations are exhibited under a female character. If we come to our own nation, who does not see" Britannia" under the figure of a female. And here, as we said, is an assumed character. But what concordance is there between this and Jezebel? Mark the connection. An Israelitish king marries a base and impious woman; behold the result! an introduction of crime and impurity. And oh! what mischief is done! More mischief is done by this connection, than was ever done by all the numerous connections of Solomon himself. The nation was never so prostrated under Solomon, as under Jezebel. Here is a scene drawn from sacred history and from real life. Well may the Redeemer come forward and declare, "I have somewhat against thee;" for they actuated others to practice these things. It is bad, when persons themselves are sinful in their ways; but when they influence others they are doubly guilty-and will be doubly damned. It is enough for a man to bear his own transgressions, without "being a partaker of other men's sins." Our Lord says (in the language of the twentieth verse) — "Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, who calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce My servants to commit fornication, and to eat things offered to idols." 'I dare say, none of these evils can be here.' Stop, my friends, stop a moment; do not be in haste in exculpating yourselves. Here is the strongest exhibition of impurity, to express evils of a certain nature. There is, my friends-there is the abomination of an evil heart, that goes after its idols; there is the departure of the church, though wedded to Christ; there is a spiritual idolatry, and a spiritual whoredom. These are the strong expressions the Holy Ghost has brought forward in Hosea, to show that Israel had departed from the living God. If we have not gone into these things externally, there may be still the hidden evils of the heart, the idolatry of the soul. Now in the midst of these abounding evils, there was the astonishing exercise of Divine forbearance. God the Redeemer says, "I gave her space to repent, and she repented not." This We | leads us into an affecting subject. We understand the forbearance of God, in a very circumscribed manner. know comparatively very little of the evil of sin as God knows it; we cannot possibly see it as God sees it, or we should know more about the exercise of Divine forbearance. If we go back to the antediluvian world, we are told, (speaking after the manner of men) that God was grieved with the wickedness of men; yet He waited until the ark was built. And has He not had patience with you and with me? "I gave her space to repent and she repented not." This bears particularly upon "the mother of harlots." I speak of the Church of Rome. And God will loudly proclaim this, in that day when He will pour out His destructive fury upon that apostate church. It seems that the kindness and forbearance of God, was worse than lightly esteemed; they continued hardening their hearts, while God held the thunderbolt and did not let loose His hand. So it is with some of very depraved dispositions; while God Almighty is long-suffering and forbearing, they take it as a licence to sin, and set at defiance all His reproofs. There is an expression of cursed depravity in the Old Testament-" Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of men is fully set in them to do evil." Here is the aggravation of guilt. But will forbearance last for ever? Oh! no, no, No: but awful will it be when forbearance is at an end! "He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy." This is an awful thing; this paves the way to the threatening of Almighty God against evil doers. 66 , Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death." I will carry conviction into the churches, that I am Divine, and that I am impartial in my judgments.' Our attention is here called for by a note of observance. "Behold!" He uses the word in another sense, when He says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock;" and in another "Behold, I come quickly." Now, says God," Behold," &c. There is very often a correspondence between crime and punishment. Here is an allusion to the infamous character in the Old Testament. The "bed" re ferred to is not a bed of ease or of pleasure, but of punishment, and of death itself. In going back to the Old Testament we find, that while there was not perhaps a more awful character, there was probably not a more cruel wretch. She delighted in the martrydom of God's faithful servants. There was a vast deal of bloodshed. And what an end! God threatened that her end should be what actually came to pass; the account you may see in the ninth chapter of the second book of Kings. Now here is a person cast down, with all the prospect of à death, that would be followed with everlasting misery. “And I will kill her children with death." Her children we may suppose to be those who have drunk into her spirit. There is something very awful in the "great tribulation" referred to. Take care therefore how you become partakers of other men's sins. to follow the ideas of some English commentators, it would be, 'I will so kill them, that they shall have no part in the first resurrection; I will so kill them, that nothing shall be before them but the second death.' How strongly the Church of England prays on this subject, that no "bitter pains of eternal death" may fall on us at last! We are to consider, that God will, in His dealings, carry conviction into the very heart of His church, that He is Divine in His character: "And all the churches shall know, that I am He, who searcheth the reins and hearts." Here 1 tremble; not that I speak from the heat of the moment, but the subject is so solemn and weighty. These words made a most serious impression upon my own mind, before I brought them here. I would remark, such is the abominable character of the human heart, that none but God can know it. Turn to the Remem-prophecy of Jeremiah, in the seventeenth chapter, the ninth and tenth verses"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, and try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings." Here is the superlative state of the heart; "desperately wicked." What awfully wicked thoughts arise in the mind, enough to make one shudder; enough to make a man of God tremble in himself! . Who can know it?" It seems so deep, none can fathom it. Look to yourselves, my hearers. God may have taught you something of your depravity, and led you into its imagery. He knows it; "I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins." Surely He who made man knows what is in him. He says, “I will give all the churches to know that I am He, who searcheth the hearts and reins." But what is the heart? No man with a grain of biblical knowledge thinks it is merely the lump of flesh within him. There is the spirit, and the affections, &c. Do take these things into consideration, I beseech you. Beloved," says John, "if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knoweth all things." ber, hearers, though there are degrees There is no repetition here; "I will kill her children with death." I take it for granted, this is a strong expression of he character of the punishment. Were I 66 "All the churches shall know that I am He, who searcheth the reins and hearts, and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.' I will punish those who are settled on their lees, and who in atheistical feelings and expressions declare, saying, How doth obey unrighteousness, indignation and God know? He sees not, neither does wrath, tribulation and anguish upon He know "the hidden evils of the every soul of man that doeth evil, of the heart." But it is God who makes man Jews first, and also of the Gentiles. But acquainted with his own heart, and leads glory, honour, and peace to every man him to exclaim-"Lord, Thou hast that worketh good, to the Jews first and searched me and known me; Thou also to the Gentiles." But how is this knowest my uprising and downsitting, done? upon what basis? There it is, in and art acquainted with all my ways.' the eleventh verse; "For there is no reThis disclosure sometimes makes the spect of persons with God." And if you man tremble under trial and affliction. read on, you will see the thirteenth to "I will give unto every one of you the fifteenth verse should be read as in a according to your deeds." Now do you parenthesis-"For as many as have believe this? If you really believed and felt it, you would not have gone on as you have done, and would tremble before Almighty God. Here the Lord declares His wise and righteous character. God sometimes makes a development of Himself, and then what righteousness appears in His conduct. To short-sighted mortals it is some-judgment set, and the books were times difficult to see the character and opened;" and he goes on to say, "before dealings of Almighty God, harmonising whom heaven and earth fled away." with some portions of His holy Word; yet all is right. "He is righteous in all His ways, and holy in all His works," and He knoweth all things. Carry on your thoughts to the final day. There will be a development. All the church of God shall then see and know that He is just in all His proceedings, and that no unrighteousness is in Him. There is a passage in the Romans so appropriate, that it will more than justify me in making rather a long quotation, though at the close of the subject. The apostle says, in the second chapter, "We are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth; and thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despiseth thou the riches of His good ness, and forbearance, and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart, treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to every one according to his deeds; to them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory, and honour, and immortality;" make a pause after "immortality"-to them who seek these things, the result will be "eternal life." "But unto them who are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but VOL. XII. sinned without law, shall also perish "I "the But time admonishes us that we must close. Many here perhaps will say, There is not much consolation for the people of God in what the preacher has advanced in this lecture. But remem. ber, we are not to be governed by the wishes of any, but by the straightforward course of the book of God. The good Lord preserve us from seduction and from all idolatry. It is of infinite moment that churches and individuals should consider this, that though there are many things pleasing to flesh, and splendid in appearance, they are to be guarded against; while it should never be forgotten, that the grand thing is to have the heart in happy accordance with the revealed will of God. I cannot conclude this subject without saying, Let us seek to set the Lord always before us, and then we may rest assured that He will be at our right hand that we may not be moved. "Make yon His service your delight; "Wherefore," says the apostle, "we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear, for our God is a consuming fire." Nothing, dear hearers, "Nothing but truth before His throne With honour can appear." The Lord grant we may be His humble and devout worshippers, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. F NOTES OF A COURSE OF LECTURES, BY THE LATE REV. W. BROADFOOT; DELIVERED AT CHESHUNT COLLEGE, DURING THE LATTER PART OF 1832. LECTURE IV. THE EVIDENCES OF THE EXISTENCE OF A GOD. IN my last I demonstrated the existence of God from the marks of design, and of design controuling a series of events, so that one event is subservient to the other. In this I intend to give you the application. I have already observed, that our argument is the universe; I repeat it, and notice some reasons why the impression it makes is so infirm and weak. For strange it is, that whilst we discover more and more of design in its construction, the less are we affected by it. 1. One reason is, that we are all engaged busily in one or more pursuits. We all have either pleasure or business before us. Our minds are occupied. Something extraordinary, therefore, is required, to call us to reflection. Had we been brought up in comparative darkness and lived some time in the world without the light of the sun, and suddenly one morning the sun rose full in our view, displaying the beauties of creation and shedding a lustre over the face of nature, would it not call every one to reflection? The most courtly sycophant, and the most sceptical atheist, would have been led by the unexpected appearance of such splendour to think of its origin. But at night it would go down. The mind would be agitated. From its having once appeared, it might be conjectured that it would again appear— that the Being who had created and sent it forth would continue it. But this would be purely conjecture. 2. The regularity of the motions of nature also (paradoxical as it may appear,) while it strengthens the argument in favour of design, and testifies to the existence of God, likewise so operates as to produce inattention. Thus, if the sun, with the morning, regularly appeared, anxiety would shortly be removed, and, surprise ceasing, speculation and research would speedily fail; and atheism, forgetting that matter is inert and incapable of modifying itself or of implanting qualities it does not possess, would ascribe it to nature, and deny that its regular appearance is the effect of controul. 3. Our gradual growth is another reason. Even if when we first beheld the appearance of nature our faculties had been matured, long would the effect have been remembered. If we entered the world with the same strength of reason as we enter a theatre, upon the curtain (so to speak)?of nature being drawn up, and the rising sun exhibited, the day, the night, the seasons, seed-time and harvest being observed, and the different creatures inspected, we could not deny the great Author of nature, but should with reverence pay Him the homage He deserves. But as we enter into life in an infant state, our reason as feeble as our body, the effect is nearly lost, because as we grow vigorous in mind and we grow strong in body, we grow familiar with nature, we perceive nothing extraordinary, nothing but what we are accustomed to daily or yearly. The sun rises and sets, the clouds appear, the rains descend, and the earth is fertilised as a matter of course; the great Author of all this designed good is forgotten, His wisdom is not regarded, and His goodness unrequited. 4. The condition of man is another reason. He is so besotted by sin and so intent on pleasure or business, that even those to whom the rising sun is not the signal for labour, and the softest night for repose, have their minds pre-occupied, and forget the Lord who made them. Whereas, if when the light greeted their eyes, and the green covering of the earth presented itself for their carpet→→ if when the trees laden with fruit, pleasant and sightly, were plucked in their sence, and nature looked gay with fragrant flowers-their reason was mature and their minds unoccupied their sentiments must be similar to those, which Milton ascribes to Adam and causes him to utter: pre |