Sidor som bilder
PDF
ePub

wicked and disorderly habits while he is young, lays up a large store of sorrow and unhappiness for his age, should he then sincerely become a penitent and if he does not become a penitent, he has secured the reversion of everlasting ruin.

But even supposing it ever so certain, that plans of reforming in age, formed in youth, while the present hour is given up to the practice of sin, would, when age comes, be acted upon; on what sort of foundation do young people build, when they thus flatter themselves with the thought of amending at some future period? Does youth hold life by any indefeasible tenure? Have you, who are young, any better security against being speedily cut off by death than those who are much your elders? Instances of the removal by death of children and young people are continually happening within the observation of every one. To all the causes of death, except old age, the young are fully as much exposed as the old and those who die of old age, in comparison with those who are carried off by disease, are a very small number indeed. As to prepare to meet death is the absolute duty of all, and forms their truest wisdom, so is it indispensably the duty of the young. There is no difference whatever here between the young and the old only if the young accept this wisdom, and act accordingly, they have better opportunities of enjoying all its benefits; and they have the means of learning it more easily, and better.

But supposing it were even possible, that a "Life Assurance Office," not in name but in fact, could be established, and the young had the means of securing the continuance of life till old age; and supposing that they who, thinking they have time enough before them, postpone till then the all-necessary work of preparing for eternity, really should, when they begin to suspect that their remaining time is short, put in execution their long deferred purpose it is unquestionably true, that they would sustain a serious injury by the delay. They would have harder work to do, less time to do it in, and would never be able, with the utmost diligence, to attain the state which would have been open to them, had they set about seeking it when young. Assuming, however, that such were not the fact; assuming the mistaken notion of too many to be correct,-that repentance, how late soever the period to which it may be deferred, places all the candidates for heaven on the same level: what reason, let me again ask you, my young friends, can there be for expecting, that if you should be so imprudent as to decline entering upon the work while you are young, you will be at all

more disposed to set about it when advanced in years? Evil habits acquire strength, exactly in proportion to the length of time during which they have been indulged: if, then, we refuse to set about the work of reforming them while they are weak,-or, what is still better, of forming good habits of life before evil ones have established themselves at all; are we not much more likely to shrink from the attempt, when they have become so rooted in us as to form our very nature, and when to part with them will be like parting with life itself? I am quite convinced that an ignorance of the true nature of repentance,—the supposition that it is at all times of life equally practicable and easy, has proved a delusion that has lured many to their ruin. People are apt to imagine, that when, according to the common order of things, death is nearer to them than he appears to be in youth, it will excite their feelings more strongly, and will supply that stimulus to an active preparation for the future life, which they do not feel while they view it at a distance. But how plausible soever this may appear in theory, the contrary is found to be the case in practice. Strange as it may justly be deemed, it is a certain fact, that when a man's chief affections are set upon the world, its possessions, or its pleasures, the longer he has lived in the world, the longer does he appear to calculate upon continuing to live in it; the nearer death approaches in the order of time, the farther, in general, it is from his thoughts. He has completely identified himself with the world, and habitually turns away from the idea of quitting it. It is the language of truth and nature which speaks in the lines,

"The tree of deepest root is found

Least willing, still, to quit the ground."

Thus we see, that while, on the one hand, habits of wickedness and worldly-mindedness most certainly gain strength with time, the counteracting tendency, on the other hand, of the thought of death, loses its power in exactly the same proportion: and thus, again, though reformation is never impossible, its taking place becomes continually less probable; and, at last, almost hopeless.

In conclusion, then, my young friends (and I may address the same remark to all),-if a beam of the light of heaven ever breaks in upon your minds, that is, if the force of Divine Truth ever for a moment makes an impression upon your hearts; (and who is there so senseless, so obdurate, as not repeatedly to have felt such impressions?)-who would be so mad as to stifle the warning with the stupid excuse of Felix, the Roman Governor? As we read in the Acts (ch. xxiv.), when the Apostle Paul "reasoned of righteous

ness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled:" but he stifled the impression, and only answered, "Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee." The probability, with those who thus put off the day for listening to serious things, always is, that, as with the hardened Roman, a season deemed convenient will never come. Felix did, indeed, repeatedly, afterwards, give audience to the Apostle; but only because he hoped to receive a bribe from him: he never found a convenient season for listening to his expostulations. In a matter of this infinite moment, as in so many others, there is no time like time present. We ought ever to apply the divine declaration, which says, "Now is the accepted time; now is the day of salvation." How applicable is this to those who are still in their youth; who have not yet deliberately turned aside into the broad way that leadeth to destruction; to whom the way that leadeth unto life is not yet so narrow, or so difficult of entry, as it may afterwards be found; to whom even the conflicts of temptation, not being against evils confirmed by actual life, are not grievous; by whom the path to heaven may, in every respect, be found as delightful as it is safe! Viewed in reference to its facilities for securing salvation, the blooming season of youth is indeed a season of hope, and of promise, to all that use it aright,-of hope that disappoints not, of promise that shall be ratified in heaven. Be earnest then, my young friends, I entreat you, in applying your advantages to their proper, their main design: so will you assuredly confess, in after life, from a deep experimental feeling of the truth, that, in the sacred words of the prophet, "It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth."

SERMON VIII.

THE BREAST PLATE OF AARON AND ITS PRECIOUS

STONES.

BY THE. REV. D. G. GOYDER.

Exodus xxxix. 14.

"And the stones were according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, every one with his name, according to the twelve tribes."

THE Contemplation of the character of the Israelites, with their wanderings through the wilderness, and the peculiarity of the ceremonies by which they were distinguished, can only be useful to us as they shadow forth the commencement of that glorious spiritual church, of which we are the privileged and happy members ;and only while viewing this people and their laws as our teachers to bring us to Christ, can we be benefited by the study of their characters. The spiritual sense of the sacred writings, unfolded through the divine science of correspondence, enablesus to do this with certainty, and discloses to us that there are no particulars, however minute and apparently trivial they may be in themselves externally, but contain spiritual and divine instruction to the Christian. If this were not so, to what purpose worthy of a divine revelation could the minute particulars recorded respecting the breast-plate of Aaron tend. As is well observed by a late eminent writer, (Rev. J. Clowes) "Let any rational man examine attentively the several modes of the conjunction of the breast-plate and ephod, as described in the twentyeighth chapter of Exodus, and then say whether they are worthy to be mentioned in the Word of God, on the idea that they contain no meaning beyond the letter. Let him, then, connect them with their spiritual meaning, by viewing them as figures of the several modes of conjunction of spiritual principles in heaven, and in the church, and in the individual man, and then say, whether, according to this view, they do not acquire a sanctity, a dignity,

and divinity, which entitle them justly to the high and holy appellation of the Word of God."

It is to this view of the words-that of their spiritual and divine meaning that I shall principally direct your attention.

In the first place, it will be necessary briefly to remark upon the breast-plate and the precious stones themselves, which were set in

it.

Secondly, To shew their spiritual signification; and

Thirdly, To remark upon the number twelve and its spiritual signification.

The breast-plate itself was composed of a piece of rich cloth, with interstices of pure gold, in which were set the twelve precious stones; one for each tribe of Israel. The brilliancy of these stones was of the most dazzling lustre, and their value was so immense as to be beyond the purchase of any private individual. The cloth in which the stones were set was double, and was a span or nine inches square. At each corner was a ring of pure gold, and it was attached to the shoulder-pieces of the ephod by a chain-work of wreathed gold, and to the girdle of the ephod, by blue laces or ribands. The stones were set in rows of three each. The first row was a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: the sardius is the cornelian of the moderns, and is of a beautiful red, sometimes flame, and occasionally pearl, colour; the topaz of the ancients is generally understood as the chrysolite of the moderns, it approximates to a yellow or flame colour, occasionally tinged with green, emitting a most splendid external lustre; the carbuncle is the precious garnet of the moderns, and in its purest state, when held to the sun, is said to resemble a burning coal. Let the tints of these stones be kept in remembrance, and when we come to apply the subject spiritually the beautiful radiation of truth will be clearly perceived. The second row consisted of an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. The emerald is of a beautiful green. sapphire is, after the diamond, the most valuable of gems; it is of a fine azure or sky-blue colour, and when the correspondence of this colour is known, the sublime description of the throne of Jehovah by the prophet Ezekiel will be more easily appreciated: "And above the firmament that was over the heads of the living creatures, was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of the sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man." The third stone in the second row was the diamond. The third row was composed of the ligure, the agate, and the amethyst. The ligure

The

« FöregåendeFortsätt »