of all creatures; not because it is his own, but because it is worth more. But he does not disregard the good of any creature, even of the smallest insect which is capable of the least degree of enjoyment or suffering. "His tender mercies are over all his works." He sees, however that the present comfort of some of his creatures is not so great a good as some other good which he can secure by giving it up, and he does give it up, and brings a variety of calamities upon them. He sees, also, that the future and eternal happiness of some of his creatures, is not so great a good as is some other good which he can secure by giving it up, and he does give it up, and dooms some of his creatures to suffer endless misery in hell. In all this, he acts wisely and benevolently; for he never gives up a greater good to secure a less, but only a less, to secure a greater. Moral goodness in creatures consists in disinterested benevolence. There is in the good man, the same mind that was in Christ Jesus, the same mind that is in God. He feels as God feels, according to the measure of his knowledge. He regards the happiness of every being according to its real worth, as far as he knows what is its real worth. He knows that the glory of God is worth more than the happiness of any creature, or of all creatures'; and he regards it more, He knows that the happiness of his neighbour is as really valuable as his own : and he loves his neighbour as himself. He knows that the happiness of a brute ani. mal is worth something, and as a merciful man, he "regardeth the life of his beast." But he is always ready to give up a less good to secure a greater. He is not only willing to give up a less good of his own to secure a greater good of his own, which a selfish man may do; but he is also willing to give up a less good of his own, to secure a greater good to his neighbour. Disinterested Benevolence cannot be carried too far. If the principle is admitted, all the consequencesmust be admitted. If it is right in small things, it is right also in great things. If it is right at all, it is right when carried to its full extent. If it is wrong when carried to its full extent, it is entirely wrong. If it is my duty to be willing to give up the smallest good of my own to secure the smallest greater good to others, it is equally my duty to be willing to give up the greatest good of my own to secure a still greater good to others. And if it is wrong for me to be willing to give up the greatest good of my own to secure a still greater good to others, it must be equally wrong for me to be willing to give up the smallest good of my own, to secure the smallest greater good to others, The principle is the same, whether the good given up be greater or smaller. If it is my duty to be willing to give up one degree of good of my own to secure ten degrees of good to others, it is equally my duty to be willing to give up ten degrees of good of my own to secure a hundred degrees of good to others, or one thousand degrees of good of my own to secure ten thousand degrees of good to others. And so on, without end. For, on the same principle, it is my duty to be willing to give up one part, or another part, or every part, of my own good, to secure a proportionably greater good to others. The principle is the same in every case. It is my duty in all cases to be wil. ling to give up a less good of my own to secure a greater good to others; and if it should be all I have, that does not alter the principle. The only thing to be considered is, that the good which I am willing to give up is a less good than that which is to be secured by it. If Paul supposed, according to the best of his knowledge that his own salvation was a less good than that of his brethren, it was right for him to be willing to be "accursed from Christ, for his brethren." And if we know, as we all do know, that the glory of God is worth more than our salvation, we ought to regard it more, and be willing that God should give up our eternalsalvation, if he should see that his glory requires its. And as all who do not know themselves, to be christians, do not know how the glory of God may require them to be disposed of for eternity; as they do not know whether the glory of God may require their salvation to be secured or given up for ever, they ought to be willing to commit themselves to his wise and benevolent disposal, and be willing that he should take them to heaven, or send them to hell, as he shall see most for his glory. I am aware that many are un. willing to adopt this conclusion.But I see not how they can avoid it, but by denying disinterested benevolence altogether. Let us be consistent with ourselves. And it we profess to believe in a disinterested religion at all, let us admit all that is implied in it. we are unwilling to admit But if all that is implied in it, let us not profess to believe in a disinterested religion at all. Let us become the open advocates of a selfish religion; a religion which is natural to every man; a religion, which, not only does not require any change of heart, but is totally inconsistent with any such change as the Bible describes, in which old things pass away, and all things become new. Selfishness, certainly, is an old thing. All the affections of the sinner are selfish; and if all the affections of the saint are selfish also, there is no radical difference between them; and the doctrine of regeneration is nothing but a delusion. FIDES. THE CHRISTIAN MAGAZINE. VOL. II. SERMON. OCTOBER, 1825. Proverbs, xvi. 31.-The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness. This is a wise saying of the wise man, which has no particular connection with what is said before it or what is said after it. It needs no comments, for it is a plain declaration of a plain important truth. That piety is a peculiar ornament to old people, No. 10. and the oldest. Children always think their parents are old. Some think men may be called old at forty, or fifty, or sixty, and it is generally, if not universally thought, that those are really old who have arrived at seventy and above seventy years of age. There seems to be no impropriety however, in calling any man old, rather than young, who has passed the meridian of life, which is commonly supposed to be at about forty-five. The scripture represents those as old, who have It is proposed to consider, I. Who may properly be called old people. II. What is to be understood by gray hairs here and there upon their piety. And, III. In what respects their piety is their peculiar ornament. 1. We are to consider who may properly be called old people. This is a phrase to which common use has affixed no definite meaning. Old and young are relative terms, and may admit of different siguifications. We often speak of some as young, of some as younger, and of some as youngest. And on the contrary, we of ten speak of the old, the older, them. David considered this as a mark of his old age. "Now when I am old and gray headed, O God, forsake me not." The distinction in ages has always been considered as an important distinction by all mankind, who have marked it by some peculiar symptoms or visible effects, which the different periods of life produce on the body or mind. The young are fond of the distinction between them and the old; and though the old cannot deny the distinction, 2. What is to be understood by the piety of old people, which is their peculiar ornament or crown of glory. It is called their righteousness in the text. Righteousness is often used in Scripture to denote holiness in heart and life, in distinction from every thing that is unholy in heart and life. When any are renewed in the spirit of their mind, they are said "to put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." Righteousness is true holiness, which is the moral excellence of all moral beings, and the essence of all vital piety in mankind. The piety of old people implies two things. And, yet they generally regret it. But and it seems necessary that all it ought to be realized by both who stand in that rank should the young and the old; for God know that it speaks to them in has made it the ground of differ- particular. Let us now consider, ent precepts and prohibitions in his word. He requires that of the young, which he does not require of the old, and requires that of the old, which he does not of the young. Though God has mentioned threescore years and ten, as the common boundary of life; yet he has no where mentioned any particular period in life, when a person ceases to be young, and begins to be old. He leaves it to every individual to judge for himself, when the precepts to the young bind him, and when the precepts to the old bind him. It is a matter of serious importance, therefore, that every one should judge justly, with respect to his being old, or young. We are not to determine whether we are young, or whether we are old, by what others think or say of us; but by what we know of ourselves respecting this distinct period in our lives, which God has distinguished and which he regards. None can either read, or hear the word of God properly and profitably, without numbering their days aright, and realizing whether they are in the morning, in the merid ian, or decline of life. How many have been startled the first time they heard themselves called old, or the first time they realised themselves to be so? This discourse is designed for the aged, 1. It implies their cordial belief of the great truths of the gospel. None can truly embrace the gospel, without cordially believing the peculiar and essential doctrines or principles,upon which it is founded. Man must believe, in order to be saved, what the gospel teaches concerning God, concerning Christ, concerning themselves, and concerning the future state of rewards and punishments. They must believe the existence, the perfections, the government, and the purposes of God. They must believe that God is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him; that his laws are holy, just, and good; that he reigns in righteousness, and dis-poses of all his works and creatures in perfect wisdom, justice, and goodness; and that he will finally promote the highest holiness and happiness of the universe, by punishing the wicked and rewarding the righteous in the future state. They must believe, that the Lord Jesus Christ is both God and man in two distinct natures, and one person forever; that he has suffered and died to make atonement for the sins of the world; that they have sinned, and do deserve the curse of the law which they have broken; that they must renounce all self-righteousness and self-dependence, and rely alone on the atonement of Christ for pardon and acceptance in the sight of God, and that it is only by perseverance, in faith, repentance, and obedience, they can reach the kingdom of heaven; while all the finally impenitent and unbelieving will be cast off forever. All true piety, is founded on the knowledge, the belief, and the love of the great and peculiar truths of the gospel. Nor is this all, for, 2. The piety of old people implies the practice of the duties, as well as the belief of the doctrines of the gospel. It seems to be suggested in the text, that old righteous persons have lived not only a long, but a righteous life. "The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteous ness." It is generally true, though there may be some exceptions, that aged christians have lived a long time in the way of holiness and obedience to the divine commands. The promises of the gospel are expressly made to those who overcome, to those who continue in well-doing, and to those who endure unto the end. The piety of the aged is aged piety, and productive of the fruits of righteousness. Internal piety al ways produces external obedience to the precepts of the gospel. Though the oldest Christians never arrive at sinless perfection in this life, yet they generally grow in grace as they grow in years, and become more and more satisfied with living reconciled to dying, and desirous of being absent from the body, and present with the Lord. It is to be expected, that aged saints will be found in the way of righteousness, and living under the happy influence of the great and precious promises of which God has given them. "The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord, shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall bring forth fruits in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing: to shew that the Lord is upright." Though the piety of the young and that of the old are essentially alike; yet the piety of the aged has a specific and supe rior excellence. |