an irksome task, and an intolerable burthen?-Could they have sweet communion with the glorified saints when they differ so widely from them? Would they not rather be so condemned in their consciences as even to wish themselves out of their society? Surely a wavering professor of religion is alike unfit for the church militant, and the church triumphant-] ADDRESS 1. Those who never put their hands to the plough [How many are there who never set themselves in earnest to do the will of God, or even take pains to enquire what the will of God is!-But such will comfort themselves with the reflection, that they are neither hypocrites nor apostates-Alas! how poor a consolation is this!-Be it so; you have never made any profession of religion at all: but is that a ground of satisfaction and boasting? What must you say, but this? "Here is one, who has cast off all allegiance to his Maker, and lives without God in the world”—Ah! glory not in such a distinction as this: for, whoever ye be, God has assigned you a work to do, and will call you to give an account of your talent: and if you have hid it in a napkin, he will "cast you, as an unprofitable servant, into outer darkness"-May God open your eyes, and interest you in his service ere it be too late!-] 2. To those who, having put their hands to the plough, are disposed to look back [We are apt to think lightly of secret declensions if we do not openly apostatize from the truth-But what was it that rendered Lot's wife such an object of God's displeasure? Did she go back to Sodom, or refuse to proceed with the angel to the destined place of safety? No; she looked back, and thereby shewed that her heart was not thoroughly weaned from the things which she had left behind: and on this account it was, that she was instantly transformed into a pillar of salt, and made a monument of God's wrath and indignation to all succeeding ages-To impress this instructive lesson on our minds, our Lord bids us "remember Lot's wife:" and it will be well to bear her ever in our minds, since, if we turn back, it will be unto perdition; and our last end will be worse than the beginnings We must endure to the end if ever we would be saved--] 3. To those who are determined, through grace, ta persevere in their work. Gen. xix. 26. g2 Pet. ii. 20. e Luke xvii. 32. h Matt, xxiv. 13. f Heb. x. 38, 39. [Doubtless the work will often prove heavy and fatiguing But God has promised "grace sufficient for us"-And the more we labour, the greater our reward-Yea, the very work itself is a source of much peace and joy, and wonderfully conduces to fit us both for this world and the next-Who will make so distinguished a preacher of Christ, or will so adorn his Christian profession, as he who is altogether dead to the world? And who is so fit to join the saints above, as he who already emulates them in their love to God, and their delight in holy exercises?-Go on then, "forgetting what is behind, and reaching forth to that which is before;" and soon you shall both "rest from your labours," and "enter into the joy of your Lord"-] ¡ 1 Cor. iii. 8. Isaiah. xxxii. 17. 1 Phil. iii. 13, 14. CCCCXX. THE MEANS OF SECURITY FROM Luke xxii. 31, 32. And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not. THE agency, or even the existence, of evil spirits is scarcely credited amongst us But there is nothing more certain than that they exist, and act in the world To conflict with them constitutes a principal part of the Christian's warfare And to be aware of their devices is no inconsiderable attainment in Christian knowledgeb There is however a Being who is able to counteract their agency Of this we have a proof in the history before us— Satan, the prince of the devils, meditated the destruction of Peter Our Lord with affection and earnestness warned Peter of his designs And, by his own intercession, secured him against his assaults I. The malice of Satan Satan is the great adversary of mankind [He was once as bright a morning star as any in heavenBut he rebelled against the Most High, and incurred his displeasure Full of hatred against God, he sought to efface his image from our first parents Through subtilty he prevailed to the destruction of them and usd Nor does he cease to assault those who through grace are restored-] He desires to agitate and distress them This is evidently implied in the expression in the textHe has various ways of effecting his purpose He may harass us with temptations and persecutions- But the more eminent any are, the more they are hated by him Peter was distinguished for his knowledge and intrepidityYea, he had had a peculiar honour conferred on hims On this account Satan's malice raged against him more especially-] But his ultimate end is to prove them hypocrites, or to make them apostates [This was evidently his design in assaulting Job"— And in asking permission to try the disciples— Nor would he leave one faithful person upon earth"As a roaring lion he seeks to devour" all He can do nothing indeed but by divine permission But if suffered to fulfil all his will, he would destroy every soul His influence on the herd of swine shews what he would do to men' Not one vassal of his would escape the fate of Judas"] i 'Encaтo seems to imply a kind of challenge, as in the case of Job, wherein he undertook to prove them to be but chaff, if God would suffer him to make the trial. k He could not afflict Job more than God saw fit to suffer him: nor could he enter into the swine without our Saviour's permission, Matt. viii. 31. 1 Matt. viii. 32. m Compare Luke xxii. 3. with Matt. xxvii. 5. But God has not left his people without means of resistance II. Our security God has both armed his people for the combat, and given them a great Deliverer Faith is the grace whereby he enables us to maintain our stand [It was by faith that we were translated from Satan's kingdom into Christ's" It is by that also that our daily warfare is to be carried ono— Yea, through that are we to attain our full and final salvationp Faith is the shield whereby alone we can ward off the darts of Satan? If that fail, we are exposed to the fiercest assaults of our enemy- If we lose our hold of the promises, we shall be driven away as chaff We shall have no point around which to rally our scattered forces Whereas, if faith be strong, we shall hope even against hoper And, though wounded, we shall return with fresh vigour to the combat Nor shall our great adversary be able to prevail against uss Hence that earnest caution against unbelief And that express direction respecting the mode of opposing Satan"-] But the intercession of Christ is necessary to uphold our faith [Peter's faith would have failed utterly if he had been left to himself But through the intercession of Christ he was preserved― the throne He obtains for us fresh supplies of the Spirit In this way he, who has been the author of our faith, will also be the finisherz n Gal. iii. 26. ¶ Eph. vi. 16. Heb. iii. 12. y Exod. xxviii. 29. • 2 Cor. i. 24. P 1 Pet. i. 5. Hence the encouragement given us to rely on the intercession of Christ Hence the encouragement given us to regard it under every backsliding Hence the encouragement given us to rest assured of Christ's power to save-] INFER Us 1. What need have we to be ever on our guard! [Perhaps at this moment Satan may be desiring to sift And what if God should give us up into his hands?— If suffered to exert his strength, he could soon dissipate whatever is good in us Nor should our past zeal in God's service remove our appre hensions That would rather provoke Satan to more activity against usLet us then "not be high-minded but fear”— Let us follow the salutary advice which our Lord has given usd Let us plead with fervour those important petitions At the same time let us "put on the whole armour of God" And prepare, as God has taught us, for the assaults of our enemy-] 2. What a mercy is it to have an interest in Christ! [They who know not Christ are wholly under the power of Satans But they who are Christ's have a watchful and almighty guardian Our Lord provided for Peter's safety, before Peter even knew his danger Thus "will he keep the feet of all his saints" He will suffer none of them to be plucked out of his hand1—— If he permit Satan to sift them, it shall be only for the removing of their chaff He has pledged his word for the security of the weakest of his people Let us therefore commit ourselves entirely into his handsLet us beg him to rentember our unworthy names in his intercessions And to deal with us as with Joshua of old'—] Rom. viii. 34. 4 Matt. xxvi. 41. 2 Tim. ii. 26. b 1 John ii. 1. e Heb. vii. 25. Compare 2 Cor. xii. 7. with Heb xii. 10, 11. |