'Twas a Heaven below The angels could do nothing more And the ftory repeat, That I ever fhould grieve, I was perfectly bleft, As if fill'd with the fulness of God. It is not to be wondered at, that my prefent conduct should ap pear fo ftrange in the eye of the world, as to lead many to fuppofe I had loft my reafon and was befide myself. I found nevertheless, that I was equally capable of attending to business, and discharging the neceffary duties of my calling, with credit to myself and fatisfaction to others. But I am inclined to believe, that had this rapturous ftate of mind continued much longer, it would have been more than my ftrength could have fupported; and it pleased God that I foon became more calm and compofed, and I enjoyed a folid peace, which though lefs ecftatic, was infinitely fuperior to all the pleasures this world could afford, and which I would not have exchanged for the wealth of the Indies. This peace I ftill retain; I praise God night and day; it is my meat and drink to do his will. I know that it is God that worketh in me both to will and to do of his good pleasure; to him therefore I afcribe all the glory of every action pleafing and acceptable in his fight; "I praife him for all that is past, and I trust him for all that's to come." I ftill however feel the neceffity of a watchful and praying fpirit. I feel that though the power of fin be fubdued, yet, the liability to commit it fill remains, and that when temptations affail and croffes intervene, my temper is apt to be ruffled, emotions of an unpleafant kind arife in my breaft, which tend to humble me in the duft, and caufe me to apply earnestly to the throne throne of grace, that God would renew my strength and establish my goings. I am thankful that God hath given me a tender confcience, and that the leaft omiffion of any known duty, as well as the commiffion of any actual fin, fills me with remorfe and godly forrow. This teaches me that my dependant ftate, is an excellent prefervative against presumption and spiritual pride, and drives me continually to that fountain which is ever open to the fincere penitent. Every moment Lord I need the merit of thy death," and fresh fupplies of grace. May that God who hath juftified me freely fanctify me wholly, and preferve my whole fpirit, foul, and body blameless, unto the coming of our Lord Jefus Chrift! 66 I have now spoken my mind freely and fully. I have dif charged a duty which I thought incumbent upon me to perform, and I leave the event to God. I cannot conclude without expreffing a grateful acknowledgement of the many marks of candour and liberality I have experienced from my friends. I have not only met with less oppofition than I expected, but I have been treated in many respects with a degree of tenderness and affection, which I fear is not very commonly displayed on like occafions. God knows, that the only circumftance which has afforded me any uneafinefs, is, that my conduct should not altogether be approved of by those perfons, whom it is no lefs my intereft and inclination, than my duty to please and obey. But if," when a man's ways please the Lord, he can make even his enemies to be at peace with him," how much more may we expect that he will eftablifh union, harmony and love amongst those who are related to each other by the ties of nature and a long habit of social intercourse. January 1, 1796. I am your fincere friend, DISNEY ALEXANDER. THE NATURE AND PRACTICE OF MERCY. "Be ye merciful, as your Father alfo is merciful." (Tranflated from the French of John Frederick Nardin, Minifter of the Gospel at Blamont, in the province of Lorraine, by Adam Clarke.*) WH HEN a finner is redeemed from his iniquities, and brought into union with God through Chrift, he is born again, and adopted into the family of Heaven. By virtue of which new birth and adoption, he receives the imprefs of the Image of God. And, *In the following SERMON I have endeavoured to imitate, as nearly as poffible, the ftyle of the original. If I have added a word or a fentence, it was to make the whole more intelligible, and conformable to what we deem the analogy of Faith. If the fame things appear 1 'Twas a Heaven below And the ftory repeat, I could not believe That I ever fhould grieve, I was perfectly bleft, As if fill'd with the fulness of God. It is not to be wondered at, that my prefent conduct fhould ap pear fo ftrange in the eye of the world, as to lead many to fuppofe i had loft my reafon and was befide myfelf. I found nevertheless, that I was equally capable of attending to bufinefs, and discharg ing the neceffary duties of my calling, with credit to myself and fatisfaction to others. But I am inclined to believe, that had this rapturous ftate of mind continued much longer, it would have been more than my ftrength could have fupported; and it pleafed God that I foon became more calm and compofed, and I enjoyed a folid peace, which though lefs ecstatic, was infinitely fuperior to all the pleasures this world could afford, and which I would not have exchanged for the wealth of the Indies. This peace I fill retain; I praife God night and day; it is my meat and drink to do his will. I know that it is God that worketh in me both to will and to do of his good pleafure; to him therefore I afcribe all the glory of every action pleafing and acceptable in his "I praife him for all that is past, and I truft him for to come." I fill however feel the neceffity of a watchful a fpirit. I feel that though the power of fin be fubdu liability to commit it fill remains, and that wher affail and croffes intervene, my temper is apt to be tions of an unpleasant kind arife" in my breaft, humble me in the duft, and caufe me to apply e throne of grace, that God would now my Boophandluh my goings. I am thankful dat God hath plyen in a bo that the leaft omillion of any known do, miffion of any actual fin, fills me wili picond This teaches me that my dependant vative again prefumption and than a park tinually to that lounasu wha AVA Every moment Lord 1 mese fupplies of prace. way full lancitly me wwony, and Diameich, unto the " And, as in the course of nature, a child partakes of the difpofitions and inclinations of his father, fo he who is born of God partakes of the Divine Nature, and refembles his Father who is in heaven. It is on this account that St. Paul, in writing to the Ephefians, (ch. vi.) fays, Be ye followers, or imitators of God, as dear, or beloved children. From the quality of Child of God, the Apostle infers the neceffity of imitating him, because all the children of God, enter by their new birth, into a conformity to him, by which they become his image, and imitators. Hence, fays the Apoftle, "He who is joined to the Lord, is one fpirit with him; "therefore he fhould walk as Chrift hath walked. For this very reason, the Spirit of God ftyles thofe, children of the Devil, who have not been renewed after the image of God, and who bear not in their hearts, and in their conduct the proper evidences of that renovation. 66 If you were children of Abraham," faid our Lord to the iniquitous and hypocritical Jews, you would do the works of Abraham: If God were your father, you would love me : But ye are of your father the Devil, who is a lyar and a murderer from the beginning; and his works ye will do," John viii. 41, 44. 66 One of the effential qualities, by which the children of God become conformable to their heavenly Father, is Love manifefted by Mercy. "God is Love: and he who dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him." GOD is a God of Mercy, and he who is his child fhould be merciful as his Father who is in heaven is merciful. This, Jefus Chrift repeats often to his dif ciples, and particularly inculcates in our text, in which he fhews us what are the Characters and Productions of that Mercy, by which the children of God are clothed. The information he gives us on this fubject, furnishes us with matter to speak of MERCY, as an effential quality of the children of God. Here, we will examine, I. The Nature of this Virtue. 11. Its Productions and Effects. I. 1. To know the Nature of MERCY, we have only to confult the grammatical meaning of the Latin word Mifericordia, from which ours is derived.* It is compounded of two words miferans, pitying; and cor, the heart; or, miferia cordis, pain of appear in two or three different places, and it might be fuppofed that I should have avoided tautology in the translation, if I found it in the original; I answer, in those places, (and they are but few) there is such important matter connected with the repeated idea, that I could not reject the repetition without injuring the fubject, or new modeling the difcourfe, neither of which I found myself at liberty to do. I fcruple not to affirm, that it is the very best Sermon I have ever seen on the fubject. May God make it a bleffing to all who read it! Amen. London, May 8, 1796. A. CLARKE. * Mifericordia, eft ægritudo ex iniferiâ alterius injuriâ laborantis. Cic. Tufc. Qu. 4. heart |