Easter Sunday morning.—Blessed with spirituality, though a little indisposed in body. Preached on the Seven Resurrections, but enlarged on our resurrection state in Christ, from _Romans_ vi.
Afternoon.—Preached on _Habakuk_, iii. 2. “Wilt thou not revive us again.” In the evening, a funeral sermon for a beloved friend, whose life was spiritual, and whose death was blessed; the text _John_ xi. “I am the resurrection,” &c. But alas! how flat and insipid I felt, yet God blessed the word.
I look back with gratitude on what the Lord has done for me, and rejoice that amidst the many changes I experience in body, soul and circumstances, in the Church and in the world, he is the same yesterday, to day and for ever; in his love, in his purposes, in his covenant, in his word, and in his faithfulness. Oh, could I know and love him more.
“For Lord I would be thine alone, And wholly live in thee; Take all that I possess below, And give thyself to me.”
I only send you this as a short specimen of a few memorandums I wish you to make and keep by you; you will often find the benefit of reviewing them.—Hence the order, “Set thee up way-marks, make thee high heaps.” These memorandums are as Gilead, an heap of witnesses, and ye are my witnesses saith the Lord.
“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith.”
The work of God, Father, Son, and Spirit, was ever opposed by satan and his emissaries _in_ all the grand displays of his favour to his dear people, _in_ the open manifestation of his love, _in_ the accomplishment of our redemption, _in_ the proclamation of pardon and mercy in the gospel, and _in_ the operations of the ever-blessed Spirit on the hearts of his chosen. It is the last point I now beg you to notice; there are greater and more mischievous foes to this work than to any other, because this opposition generally comes from a quarter where one would hardly expect it; _some_ profest Christians deny it entirely; _others_ admit it in part only, as an assistant to the creature. The apostle has addressed such characters in this pointed speech. “Beware, lest that come on you which was spoken by the prophet, ‘Behold ye despisers and wonder, and perish, for I work a work in your days; a work in which you shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.’” You may talk to many about the works of creation and redemption, and they may give credit to it; but if you talk to them about the work of God the Holy Spirit on the heart, they will hiss like a serpent, and soon manifest their enmity to you and the work itself. But, my dear friend, although God has been pleased to begin, and is actually carrying on this work in our hearts, have we not more formidable foes within: are not our inward enemies worse than every outward foe? Let me appeal to your conscience. Do you not at times give way to doubting, and God-dishonouring unbelief? Do you not lie against your right, and offend the Lord in a fit of ingratitude, and too often indulge your suspicions and your complaints? Is not this giving place to satan, to harrass your mind, and keep up the distance between God, and your soul; setting you at questioning the reality of a work of grace in the heart, and begetting a fear in your soul that you are nothing but an hypocrite? The world, perhaps, joins in it and says the same: oh, you are nothing but an hypocrite. Perhaps providence seems contrary, troubles befal you, the members of the same church are permitted to suspect your religion, and condemn you only as an hypocrite. Under this opposition I have sighed and wept. Yet will you believe it, even this has done me much good: the fears of being an hypocrite, and being found so in death and judgment, have driven me to pray that God would _make_ me sincere and without offence. By persevering in prayer I have obtained fresh light; the Lord has cast a ray on the track he has led me; and by reading the word I have been enabled to compare my past and present case with the word of God: this has often afforded me joy and peace in believing: not that I make my experience a foundation of hope, but I look upon some Bible parts of experience to be tokens for good, way-marks, evidences, and infallible signs and proofs of the electing love of God and of redemption from woe. The method I have found good to adopt has been the following:—