of not being accepted arises from a humiliating sense of your own unworthiness, such humility will rather commend you to the esteem and confidence of good men. 3. "I fear I

should do more dishonour than honour to religion." But you have no right to fear anything of the kind. God promises to sustain you with His allsufficient grace. Put away this sinful, because unbelieving, fear. 4. "I know a great many good people who are not Church members." That is no concern of yours. Their neglect will not excuse yours (John xxi. 21, 22; Rom. xiv. 12). 5. "A great many Church members are no better than they ought to be." True. Let us be sorry that it is So. But this is no reason why you should neglect to name Christ's name and promote His cause; it is rather a strong reason why you should unite with His few friends to purify, strengthen, and revive religion, and to rectify whatever is amiss in the Church. Note

III. SOME OF THE EVILS THAT RESULT FROM THIS NEGLECT TO MAKE A PUBLIC PROFESSION OF RELIGION.

Those who are guilty of it-1. Injure themselves, by depriving themselves of that peace and comfort which they might enjoy in communion with God and His people. 2. They injure religion, by neglecting to perform those peculiar and important duties by which it is to be promoted in the world. 3. They injure the friends of God by practically joining with the world in neglecting and opposing the cause which they desire and have bound themselves to promote (Matt. xii. 30). 4. They injure the impenitent by practically justifying them in their impenitence and unbelief. The more upright and amiable they appear, the more they injure the cause of God and the souls of men by the weight and influence of their criminal example.-Dr. Emmons: Works, vol. v. pp. 458-469.

The immediate effect of the outpouring of the Spirit, promised in verse 3, will be a general awakening to the claims of religion. When so visited,

men think seriously about the soul, eternity, and God. Hitherto their practice may have been at one with the sentiment expressed in the words, "Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die;" but, under the influence of the new quickening, the unseen state is felt to be a reality, and the interests of time give way before the urgency of the great hereafter. Such views ripen into religious devotion, or the soul's consecration to God.

Touching the nature and method of the surrender and dedication of the soul to God, the prophet's language indicates these things:

I. The act is strictly personal "One shall say," "and another shall call himself," "and another shall subscribe with his hand." (a) Men proceed singly in the matter. Repentance, faith, and regeneration and consecration are individual transac tions between the creature and the Creator. Into the fellowship of saints many may enter at the same time. The text favours the idea of concealed action. In their turning to God, it is common for men to move together. Yet the procedure is no more a collective process than eating and drinking at one table and hour is a collective process. As the servants of the Crown have to take the oath of allegiance one by one, so must the vow of service to the King of kings be, in every case, independently plighted. Each person has to enter into the covenant on his own account.

II. The act is performed specially by the faculty of choice and determination. The other mental powers share in the engagement. The understanding and reason, the conscience and the affections, are parties to it. But, whilst the sister faculties conduce to and support the pledge, the utterance of the binding promise does not rest with any or all of them. The decision itself pertains o the instrument of choice. The making up of the mind to what is good and holy is pre-eminently the function and act of the will. "Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power."

The

III The act, in order to be rightly completed, requires an outward sign or seal. The word of acknowledgment is spoken. "I am the Lord's;" or "the name of Jacob" is assumed, the visible fellowship of good men is entered; or a subscription with the hand is appended in token of acceptance and submission. When the soul attaches itself to the service of its Saviour, the internal establishment is to be accompanied by some sort of external work. This is seemly by way of open confession. It is right and becoming for the children of God to show whose they are. sign, too, helps one's own resolution. Our purpose is the stronger when we have definitively committed ourselves to the adopted course. Again, the sign has its effect upon others. Where the decision for Christ is not avowed, the example cannot be clear and forcible. The token is a reasonable adjunct, and not to be neglected without loss in various ways. Hence the Scriptures call for the outward profession of faith. Our courage is not to shrink from view. Instead of continuing to come to Christ by night only, Nicodemus must consent to receive

baptism with water, and take upon him the badge of open identification with an unpopular cause. The Christian's light is to shine before men. Jesus did not invite to secret discipleship (H. E. I. 1042-1045).-W. Follard.

(a) "And another shall subscribe with his

hand unto the Lord, and surname himself by the name of Israel." According to Bishop Louth, this might be rendered, "Another shall inscribe his hand to Jehovah;" or still more plainly in the Septuagint translation, "An

The

other shall write upon his hand, I belong to God." You have doubtless seen upon the hands or arms of seamen the name of the ship in which they have served, rendered indelible by puncture, or by staining; this, perhaps, is one of the oldest customs in the world. slave, in former days, used thus to be marked with the name of his master; the soldier, of his commander; the idolater, with the name of his god; while one of the Christian fathers tells us that in his day, "many marked their wrists or their arms with the sign of the cross, or with the name of Christ." This, then, will give you a very distinct idea of what the Lord requires of you, and what He will enable you to perform; it is such a decided choice of the Lord for your portion, such an avowal by your daily actions, that you are not your own, but His who has bought you with the price of His precious blood, that all shall know it as certainly, and that your actions shall proclaim it as unequivocally, as if the name of Christ were inscribed on the back of your hand, and could be seen and read in all companies, and on all occasions.-Blunt.

I. The nature of true religion.

1. It

is a surrender of ourselves to God. "I am the Lord's." (1.) He has an original right-formed us for Himself. (2.) Reasonable right. (3.) Redeeming right. 2. It is an avowed acknowledgment of God. "Another shall,"

&c. Profession is demanded by the Lord. 3. It includes union and fellow

ship with His people. "Call themselves," &c. So in apostolic times, &c.

II. The characteristics of the religion as presented in our text. 1. It is personal. 2. Voluntary. 3. Deliberate.

4. Determinate.

we should often think; or the noblest faculties of our mind will dwindle and die (H. E. I. 3294, 3493).

I. THE SOLITARINESS OF GOD. "Beside Me there is no God." To us a familiar fact; but let us think about it. One God! Then

All

In

The

1. One Creator of all things. -what a comprehensive term! cludes (1.) The lifeless universe. sun-suns. Mountains, gems. The rocks, the waves that roll and dash against them, &c. (2.) The living universe. How varied the living forms in this earth, this infinitesimal fragment of the universe! But God is the one source of all the life of the universe, of all its grandeur, of all its beauty. (3.) The moral universe. Men. Angels. What a wonderful Being, of whom the outcome is so various and glorious (P. D. 631).

2. One Sustainer of all things. The regularity of the procession of the seasons, of all the events of the universe, is a sufficient proof that behind all things there is one God (H. E. I. 362-365, 3173-3182).

3. One Ruler of all things. Every departure from the laws of righteousness and love, is not merely an infraction of law, but a sin against GOD (H. E. I. 4478).

In all these respects God abides alone, eternally!

"I

II. THE ETERNITY OF GOD. am the first, and I am the last." Space and time the two mysteries before which the human mind stands defeated and appalled. They defy our attempts to grasp them (P. D. 1078). But science has done a noble service by enlarging our ideas of both. Astronomy and geology-what suggestions they are giving concerning the meaning of the word Time! But when our thoughts have travelled back as far as is possible, with what do they find themselves confronted? With God! "In the beginning GOD created the heavens and the earth" (H. E. I. 2253). Let us travel forward. What a changing universe we are in! The predictions of science concerning the solar system. When they are fulfilled, what will remain unchanged? GOD! With Him there is no variableness (P. D. 2536).

1. This enables us to look forward

without foreboding. The one Ruler will overrule all the changes for His glory and the good of His creatures. There is a richer universe ahead (P. D. 1492.)

2. How certain is the fulfilment of the promises of Scripture! He who made them will remain to fulfil them (H. E. I. 2254).

3. What an immense interest we have in this truth of the eternity of God! His children shall share in His eternity with Him (Ps. cxxii. 24-28; P. D. 1693, 1971).

III. GOD'S RELATIONS TO HIS CHURCH. In considering them, remember that what He is to His Church He is also to each member of it.

1. He is its King. "Thus saith the Lord, the King of Israel." (1.) Its ruler. His will only should be consulted by it. The Church should not fear man nor seek his favour; to Gop only should obedience be rendered. This the inspiring, ennobling principle of the martyrs (Acts iv. 19, 20, v. 29). (2.) Its defender. No evil can happen to it (Matt. xvi. 18). The testimony of the past. No fear as to the future (H. E. I. 1246-1251, 2249).

2. He is its Redeemer. "And his redeemer the Lord of hosts." "Redeemer," i.e., rescuer. Two modes of rescue, by payment and by power. By payment He has rescued His people from the just claims of the avenging LAW (Matt. xx. 28; 1 Tim. ii. 6; Rom. iii. 24-26; H. E. I. 382). By sanctifying power He will rescue them from the dominion of ignorance and sin (Matt. i. 21). (1.) There are many imperfections in the Church. But they shall all be removed (Eph. v. 25–27). His ransomed ones shall form a glorious host with which He shall be "satisfied." (2.) There are many imperfections in us. Let us not be dismayed because of them, but let us struggle against them valiantly. In our case, too, God will show that He is the Redeemer of Israel (Phil. i. 6; Jude 24; H. E. I. 1053-1070).

Boldness for God, and boldness in dealing with God, should form part of the Christian character; and the Word of God, from the beginning to the end, encourages this Christian boldness. We are repeatedly exhorted to "fear not," to "be of good courage."

I. WHY GOD'S PEOPLE ARE LIKELY TO FEAR. 1. Because they are few in number and "peculiar." Many_are called, but few are chosen. "Fear not, little flock," &c. 2. The result of this is that they have always been a persecuted people (Gen. iv. 29; Isa. xli. 10, 11). 3. Because they are called to live not by sight, but by faith, and therefore to make present sacrifices (Matt. xix. 2-30; Phil. iii. 4-7).

II. WHY THEY SHOULD NOT FEAR. Because the Lord thus argues with us: "Have not I," &c. God challenges man to deny this fact, that He knows the end from the beginning, and has proved that He knows it by foretelling the end from the beginning. (a) This is the manner in which God argues in other passages (Isa. xlii. 9; Deut. xxviii. 47-49; Matt. xxvi. 31). So, again, the Lord has foretold to us everything that is required for our deliverance in the advent and work of Christ (Isa. ix. 6; Zech. xiii. 7; Dan. ix. 26; Isa. lii. 5). These prophecies have been fulfilled to the very letter. Hence,

God knows the end; foresees the means, and exercises control over those means. Everything that happens, great or small, is under the control of God, and therefore we have nothing to fear, because we are in His hands who "doeth all things well." In this manner we find the argument used (ch. li. 12).

III. THE PERSONAL APPEAL WHICH THE LORD MAKES TO HIS PEOPLE. "Ye are even my witnesses," thus urging upon them, by the strongest possible personal appeal, to bear testimony to the fact that He is their God for ever and ever. He would have all His people speak of His faithfulness (ch. xliii. 10-13). The duty from which many shrink, from a want of simple courage. Many ways in which we may be witnesses. 1. By a consistent life. Should be a "living epistle." 2. By speaking for the cause of truth and holiness. 3. By zeal for the salvation of souls.

Are you amongst the real witnesses for God?-M. Villiers, M.A.: The Pulpit, vol. lxix. pp. 129-134).

(a) See also ver. 7: "And who, as I, shall call," &c. Foreknowledge is the exclusive prerogative of God; it is exemplified in the prophetic history of His people; it extends to things remote as well as near; it supplies a strong argument for unwavering confidence. -Lyth.

practice. Yet there is a general tendency to take it for granted that things that are common are right. A perception of the falsity of this assumption leads some men to an opposite error-the assumption that anything that is ancient is absurd. So pendulum-like is our tendency! But the first of these errors, because it is most prevalent, is most distinctly con

It

demned in Scripture. The special aim of Scripture is the cultivation of individuality. It teaches that God is to be worshipped with the understanding (Ps. xlvii. 7; Mark xii. 33; 1 Cor. xiv. 15). It commands and commends individual search after truth (John v. 39; Acts xvii. 11). warns us against idly conforming to common practices (Ex. xxiii. 2). To this aim of Scripture let us respond. Let us have the wisdom and the courage to think and act for ourselves. This is the secret of the origin of the reforms the world needed so much; the absurdity and wickedness of idolatry, witchcraft, Popery, slavery, &c., first dawned upon individual thinkers, who risked their lives in exposing the delusion to others. Thus only can the reforms the world still needs be accomplished. In the very nature of the case, the cultivation of individuality is a duty that devolves on you and me. Let us give heed to it. This an important lesson from the general purpose of our text. Note also

I. THINGS EXEMPLARY IN THESE IDOL-MAKERS.

Like our Lord, we should be observant of things that are excellent in men whose general character and course is wrong (Luke xvi. 8). The idol-makers were not content merely to believe; they carried out their belief into practice. They believed that they ought to worship idols, and they made and worshipped them. So it is with idolaters to-day. How poorly we should come out, if we were put to this test. We believe many right things that God should be wor

shipped, that the Sabbath should be kept holy, &c., but how about our practice? (James i. 22.)

2. They did not hesitate to make the sacrifices necessary to accomplish the object they deemed desirable. Many of the idols were exceedingly costly (ch. xl. 19). The poorest stinted themselves that they might at least procure for themselves idols of carved wood (ch. xl. 20). Before the idols they offered costly sacrifices, some of them even their children. What terrible sacrifices idolaters often make now! But we, how little we are prepared to sacrifice, in order to do what is right, and to extend the kingdom of God in the world!

II. THINGS ADMONITORY IN THESE

IDOL-MAKERS.

When we look upon them thoughtfully, we learn-1. That intellectual ability is not sufficient to save men from the grossest spiritual follies. The idolaters were not all idiots. Many of them were great statesmen, soldiers, &c. Yet they were guilty of the gross folly of idolatry. Intellect is a great gift, but there are many things for which it is insufficient. Spiritual things can be only spiritually discerned (1 Cor. i. 21, ii. 14).

2. That neglect of the duty of thinking leads men into most foolish beliefs and injurious practices (ver. 19. See also ch. i. 3, and outlines on that text in vol. i. pp. 7-12).

The great lesson of this text: the duty of diligent and earnest self-examina tion. Let us look into our right hand, and see what it is that we are cherishing there (ver. 20; H. E I. 4433, 4434).

tends to effect. Such was the method He adopted to cure the Jews of their idolatry. They were addicted to it for many generations. He caused them to be carried away captive to a country in which this degradation was prac tised universally! Yet it was there