SERMON XIV.
WALK WORTHY OF THE LORD, BE FRUITFUL, AND INCREASING.

One of the great objects of St. Paul, in writing his epistles, appears to be considerably overlooked by the christian world at large: it was, to lead those churches and communities, in which the true foundation of Christianity had been laid, to build upon it a corresponding character and life.  Certainly, a great portion of the epistles is occupied in the assertion and explanation of christian doctrine; and this, principally, with a view to remove certain errors and prejudices, which the members of some churches had entertained; and upon which they had requested the apostle’s decision.  But well knowing how apt the human mind is to rest satisfied with speculative views and persuasions, he never omits to remind his converts, that much more was necessary than the profession of a true faith; that in vain would their opinions be rectified, unless their heart was also changed; that though they had “all faith and all knowledge,” it would “profit them nothing,” unless the graces and virtues of their holy religion were signally manifest in their lives.

There is scarcely an epistle, in which the apostle does not labour, with the most intense desire, with the most full and repeated and peremptory injunctions, to press upon them this momentous consideration: there is not, in the word of God, a more complete digest and code of christian duty, than in the writings of St. Paul; and yet they are, by many, almost exclusively regarded as an exposition of deep and mysterious doctrines; as if this were the sole end and purpose for which they were composed.  Well would it have been for the christian world, if as much attention had been paid to the practical, as to the theoretical subjects in these divine oracles: we should not then have witnessed so many disputations, in which charity has been lost sight of, nor so much of the “form of godliness without the power;” so many religious terms and denominations, of which the ignorant have understood little but the name: we should have had less of sect, of party, of invidious distinctions of any kind; and more of vital religion amongst us.  But it is now, as it ever was, with fallen and degenerate man; he is fonder of exhibiting the powers of his understanding, of exciting his feelings, and of displaying the pride of spiritual knowledge, than of reforming his principles and regulating his conduct: he has therefore directed his view to the mystery of the foundation, and overlooked the directions for raising and completing the superstructure.

The passage of scripture, from which we are now discoursing, will exemplify these remarks.  St. Paul, in the very opening of his epistle, assures the Colossians, that since the day he heard of their conversion, he did “not cease to pray for them and to desire that they might be filled with the knowledge of the will of God, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that they might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.”

1.  “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord.”  It is scarcely possible for the most cursory observer not to perceive, that the faith of the gospel cannot be truly embraced with indifference; that the christian name is not a mere honorary or professional title, independent of obligations and of consequences.  As the Bible is rich in promises, so is it also clear and necessitating, in the conditions upon which those promises are made: as the Redeemer has freely offered unto us the benefits of His cross, so has He as plainly injoined upon us the indispensable duty of “taking up our own cross daily,” and “following the blessed steps of His most holy life;” as He has reconciled us unto the Father, and again adopted us into the blessed family above, so are we required, if we have any part or lot in this matter, to be-have as children, who have recovered the forfeited privileges of their glorious inheritance, and “have their conversation in heaven.”  As we have been “bought at so great a price,” we must continue the subjects and the property of the “Lord that bought us.”

No man, whose nature, whose principles, whose affections, whose life, remain unchanged; no man, enthralled by the pleasures and devoted to the pursuits of a thoughtless and corrupt world, can justly consider himself as an actual partaker of the covenanted mercies of God.  He may have been admitted by baptism into Christ’s visible church; he may hope to render, at some future day, his baptismal privilege available to salvation; but every page of God’s revealed word would forbid him to regard himself as an accepted “inheritor of the kingdom of heaven,” while his life is palpably at variance with the conditions upon which that inheritance is vouchsafed; while it is contradictory to the laws, and totally inconsistent with the blessings, which the Saviour has proclaimed to mankind.  Every man must not only perceive from the gospel, but be assured by his own reason and conscience, that such divine mercies absolutely require and imply some degree of worthiness; some correspondence in his views, his temper, and his conduct.

Worthy indeed, in the fullest sense of the word, of such transcendent love and favour, of life and immortality, of everlasting honour in the presence of the pure and perfect Creator, the degenerate creature can never be; he has sinned; and “the wages of sin is death.”  But there is a fitness, which the Christian, by divine help, must attain; a humility and contrition of heart; a sincere belief in God’s mercy through Christ; a grateful sense of God’s undeserved goodness; a desire of recovery from the ruin of his fallen nature; and withal, a true spirit of acquiescence in those means of grace, and that revealed law, ordained to bring the sinner to his Maker; and this conformity, in the character of man, is frequently represented in scripture by the name of worthiness: he becomes worthy in this respect, inasmuch as he fulfils the conditions of the gospel covenant, and is thereby rendered a fit object of God’s free mercy: without this character he would be unworthy, inasmuch as he would shew himself unmoved by the marvellous loving-kindness of his Saviour; would shew, that he had no real value for the blessings, which the gospel places within his reach; no regard for the revelation and ordinances of God.  It is an observation as true as it is common, that the holy gospel designs not to save us in our sins, but from them; we must therefore be made willing and desirous and careful, to subdue the prevalence of sin, or we cannot attain unto salvation; and if the dominion of evil be subdued, there will grow up, in our hearts and lives, the manifold fruits of righteousness.

Such was the worthiness, which the apostle prayed and laboured to produce in the early disciples; and if, without this, we are hoping to be accepted of the Lord, “we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”  The meetness indeed, of which we are speaking, is not exclusively our own; it must “be wrought in us of God;” still it is to be sought by prayer, and improved with diligence: “We are not sufficient of ourselves to think any thing, as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;” [260] yet God will not fail to supply us with the means, if we pray for them and use them faithfully.

To this statement I request your especial attention; because there are professing Christians, who take an improper view of this important matter.  Conscious of their own unworthiness in point of merit, they are apt to overlook that worthy fitness, of heart and character and life, which is necessary for every sincere follower, of Christ.  The proclamations of their own undeservings, and their Saviour’s free love, are sometimes so loud and frequent, as to lower in their minds the sense of moral and spiritual obligation, as to make them relax in their duly to God and man; as if they were privileged to offend, because they extolled the Saviour, and debased themselves.  This is a vain and a fanatical spirit: Christ alone is worthy to save; but we must endeavour, by His sanctifying aid, in all things to be made more and more worthy of the exceeding “riches of His grace.”

2.  And, in order to encourage us in the goodly work, the Almighty, whose happiness is infinite and incapable of increase, graciously represents Himself as pleased, even with our imperfect services: “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing.”  “Though the heavens are not pure in His sight,” yet does He condescend to “visit man” with His favour, and “to regard the son of man,” who serveth Him, with an approving eye: He is pleased, because it is the fruit of the sinner’s reconciliation, by the death and sufferings of His beloved Son: for His sake, even the feeble struggles of the Christian, in the way of duty, if they be resolute and determined, are an acceptable service; even the spark of goodness, if it glow with sincerity in the bosom, is honoured and rewarded.

This is an animating consideration: we observe the effect naturally produced in the mind of man, even by the approbation of a fellow-creature, whom he regards as his superior; what holy satisfaction then, and complacency and delight, may we not derive from the persuasion, that our humble services are favourably viewed by the all-wise and almighty God, who recompenses every one according to his work: if God be pleased, whose displeasure shall we fear?  If “God be for us, who shall be against us?”  And O, that we may never forget, that it is one of the great purposes of the gospel, to render us, infirm and imperfect as we are, pleasing unto Him, through the merits and intercession of our Redeemer; by “walking worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called.” [262]

3.  The apostle proceeds, in the text, to open and extend his view of evangelical righteousness.  It consists not in that partial cultivation of spiritual affections, in that modified selection of particular duties, with which the christian world is so prone to be content: it obliges the believer to “be fruitful unto every good work.”  This is a point, in which vast multitudes, in the christian church, lamentably and notoriously fail; in which many fail, who make a considerable profession of their zeal for religion; and comply, to a certain degree, with most of its obligations.  There are some pleasures or pursuits, which, though they do not pretend to reconcile them with the law of God, they still perseveringly retain.  Upon the whole, they professedly adopt the ordinances and requisitions of the gospel: but there are some more unpalatable than others; some to which they feel an unconquered repugnance: and these they leave out of their religious system altogether; to these they never so much as resolve to conform.  And thus, they fail to manifest, (what is confessedly the most difficult, yet the most important of all christian attainments,) a surrender of the heart to God.  Their own inclination, their own judgment, and not the divine will, is the rule and standard of their conduct; and no doubt, if they felt this strong reluctance to the duties which they do perform, these also would be equally neglected: in other words, no part of their obedience rests upon a true foundation: it proceeds not from a sincere belief in the truth and authority of God’s word.  All the injunctions, all the precepts of the gospel are obligatory alike; all equally declarative of the divine will, and equally necessary to the spiritual renovation of man.  And those injunctions and precepts, with which we are the least disposed to comply, do in fact require our peculiar attention and observance; because they point out to us the natural blemishes, which stand most in need of repair; because they shew where the greatest danger lies, of our being deficient in that complete change, of principle and affection and character, which the infallible word of truth has declared to be indispensable.

St. James assures us, that “whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all:” [265] he who reserves to himself any particular indulgence or pursuit, which is clearly at variance with the will and word of God, obeys not, in any thing, from a real christian motive; and shews himself ready, if a sufficient temptation were offered, to disobey in any and every point.  It is true, that there is no “good work,” which the Christian performs with uniform unvarying obedience; but neither is there any, in which he does not sincerely desire and endeavour “to be fruitful;” there is no act of righteousness, to which he is a stranger; no “besetting sin,” which he is unwilling or unmindful to cast away: though the good fruit, to his sorrow, does too frequently fail, after all his unqualified labour; yet the unprofitable branch is pruned again, and watered by the tears of repentance, and fructified with the dews of heaven, and bears another day.  He believes, and fears, and “loves the Lord his God with all his heart and all his soul and all his strength;” and therefore, though there are many imperfections, there is no reserve in his obedience.

4.  The latter clause of the text directs us to a very distinguishing feature in the christian character: “Increasing in the knowledge of God.”  Knowledge must evidently here be taken, in a larger sense, to signify a lively comprehension of religious doctrines and duties, a practical understanding of the will and ways of God.  In this knowledge it is absolutely essential that the true believer should be continually advancing: the objects of his faith are of such deep and overwhelming interest, that the longer they are studied and pursued, the more they will, of necessity, captivate his thoughts and strike root into his heart: the more he seeks for the treasures in God’s word, the more he will find: the more he knows of God, the more he will desire and delight to know: feeling the comfort and happiness of a reconciliation with his Maker, he is ever anxious to obtain a nearer and holier communion with Him; sensible of his absolute and entire dependence upon the Redeemer’s mercy, he is ever leaning upon Him with new satisfaction, with a growing spirit of confidence and complacency; the more he thinks of heaven, the more “his affections are set on things above;” the more he thinks of the wretchedness of the rejected, the further he flies, in terror, from their dreadful abode.  The consequence of all this must be, a progressive “victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil;” a daily improvement “in all virtue and godliness of living.”

And there is yet another consideration; as we value and use the gracious gifts of God, they are increased and multiplied unto us; “whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance;” [267] the lamp shines brighter, that is to guide his feet; and his heart is ever quickened with fresh energy and zeal, by the influence of the Holy Spirit; thus he goeth on from grace to grace, from strength to strength, “from glory to glory.”

The apostle, therefore, in praying that the converts might be increasing in the knowledge of God, is praying that they might have the invariable mark and earnest of a sincere and genuine faith.  How little does this point seem to be considered!  How many content themselves without any regular advancement, without any advancement at all; they cannot, after all the flattery with which they contrive to deceive themselves, be persuaded in their minds, that they grow decidedly better as they grow older: a year, perhaps many years ago, they were as religious, as fruitful in piety and good works, as they are now: no increase of spiritual knowledge, no new grace, no fresh habit of obedience, no additional exertions to mark the lapse of time; no passion subdued, no unholy pursuit abandoned, no vice mortified and forsaken.  Wherever this is the case, the gospel has not been sincerely received into the heart; it has not been felt as the “power of God unto salvation;” it has not been, as it is designed to be, an effectual instrument of righteousness to the soul.  To those, who remain in so careless and indifferent and unimproving a condition, we must say, that “our preaching has been vain, and their faith is also vain.”

Possibly there may be some amongst us, who never yet bestowed an adequate attention on this important point; if any such there be, I would urgently exhort them, as they tender the salvation of their souls, to neglect this point no longer; deeply to enquire without delay, whether they “are growing in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” [269]  Let them enter with earnestness upon this necessary consideration; let it be frequently repeated: Is my faith increased and strengthened?  Is my character more holy, my conduct more upright?  Does my temper improve?  Are my passions better regulated; my thoughts more spiritual; my devotions more pure and fervent; my affections more detached from the world, more fixed on God and heaven?  My life and conversation, are they more accordant with the precepts and the example of my Saviour?

SERMON XV.
THE WORD OF THE LORD PRECIOUS.

From Moses to Samuel, a period of several hundred years, there was no prophet regularly appointed; particular revelations were made to individuals, and occasional messages from heaven were publicly delivered to the people; but there was no acknowledged prophet, to whom they might at all times resort, to know the mind and will of God; or, as it is described in the text, “there was no open vision.”  The natural consequence was, that such intimations of the divine will, as were then given, made a deeper impression; they were more highly valued and more eagerly sought for, than when the gift of prophecy, in after ages, became more common.  When the word of God abounded, it was received with indifference; when rarely vouchsafed, it was intently desired.

Such is perpetually, and on all occasions, the perverseness of man: blessings of every description are estimated, not according to their excellence, but their rarity; not according to the ease, but the difficulty, with which they are to be obtained.  And further, when in possession of a blessing, we are often utterly insensible of its value; we abuse it in thoughtless excess, and are ready to squander it away; but the moment it is departed, we discover our blindness and folly; and would give, perhaps, all we have, to bring the treasure back again.  Meat and drink and raiment, the air we breathe, the sun and the shower, excite no spirit of gratitude, and by many are scarcely received and remembered as blessings; but in the days of famine and of pestilence, amidst the warfare and desolation of raging elements, these benefits and mercies are painfully acknowledged, and ardently desired.  Again: the advantages of civil and religious liberty make little impression upon the hearts of those, by whom they are fully and uninterruptedly enjoyed: it is under the iron arm of intolerance and oppression; it is in the dungeon and the mine, that the excellency of these privileges is learned.  And thus it is of domestic happiness and comfort: the value of home is frequently not appreciated, until it is forsaken and lost; the worth of a friend, even of the nearest relative, is sometimes but lightly considered, till he “goes hence and is no more seen.”

These observations are also illustrative of the feelings and conduct of men, in regard to their spiritual privileges and blessings.  While the light of divine revelation is shining upon their dwellings, pointing out to them the way of salvation, and opening the prospect of a glorious immortality, they shut their eyes, and turn away into the fatal paths of sin and misery, to the darkness of eternal death; but when their opportunities are lost, when “the evil days are come upon them,” and there is no instructor or counsellor or comforter to be found, they perceive the preciousness of the time and the talents, which have been heedlessly thrown away; and would give the world, if they possessed it, for what they were once unwilling to make the smallest sacrifice.

We are apt to express a wonder at the obstinate indifference of the people of Israel to their religious advantages and instructions; we are astonished, that they could forget their miraculous deliverances by the hand of Moses, and the manifold revelations vouchsafed through him for their knowledge and guidance; and that almost every divine communication to them, in after ages, should have been but the forerunner of guilt and apostacy: yet in truth, the history of Israel is but too faithful a picture of the people of God in other times and other countries; by no means excluding our own.  The word of God has not been accounted precious, in proportion to the extent to which it has been diffused; the Bible has not been, in too many instances, the most highly prized, where it has been most widely circulated; nor have the ministers of the gospel been always most attentively and devoutly heard, where they have increased and multiplied.  Before the age of printing, when the copies of the sacred word were comparatively few, the Christian, who was so happy as to possess one, commonly regarded it as a treasure; or if he could obtain a part only, by the labours of the pen, even a gospel or an epistle, it was considered as a “pearl of great price.”  And afterwards, in the days of ignorance and persecution, when the sacred scriptures were withheld from the people by a blind and bigotted priesthood, the thirst for divine knowledge, for these streams of life and salvation, was inconceivably great; men sought them and treasured them at the peril of their lives.  In these dark days, and long after, the public preachers of the word were few; and people flocked from distant quarters to hear the good tidings proclaimed.  Having no regular supply of spiritual food, they sought it out with earnestness where they might; “the word of the Lord was precious in those days;” and “beautiful upon the mountains were the feet of Him,” who came to “lighten their darkness,” and to deliver the message of salvation to their souls.

How widely different from this is the case in our day.  Copies of the Holy Scriptures are multiplied beyond all calculation: not a village, scarcely a dwelling, where they are not, or may not be procured: and, instead of any persecuting power, forbidding the use of them, every possible encouragement is afforded, and every means devised by which they may be adequately understood.  And such, under the divine blessing, has been the success of those means, that the greater portion, even of the poorest in this favoured land, are able to discover for themselves the light of life; to apply it for their guidance and comfort and eternal salvation.

So much for our holy congratulation, for the honour and glory of our land, for the rich abundance of spiritual privileges and blessings, which, under the favour of almighty goodness, we have the happiness to enjoy.  It were well, if the sequel of our subject afforded equal ground for rejoicing; that it equally redounded to our honour.  But here there is a dark cloud resting, which casts over the scene a melancholy gloom.  The value set upon the word of God, its preciousness in the heart of man, is not proportioned to the frequency and the fulness of its communication.  It is in almost every dwelling, but not in every dwelling esteemed and loved; not devoutly treasured, not eagerly and diligently read, as it used to be in the days of scarcity.  How many who possess it, perhaps superbly ornamented, in a variety of forms, and with goodly interpretations, seldom open it; seldom in comparison with its high and everlasting importance, for their enlightenment and edification: possibly it may be read on the Lord’s day as a cold customary exercise, and by vast numbers not even on the Lord’s day; they are positively unmindful of the sacred treasure, unconscious that it is so much as in their possession.  No change of heart, no lively faith, no spiritual strength is derived from its exalted doctrines; no purification of the affections from its means of grace; no regulation of the life and character from its perfect law of righteousness.  How should there be, when it is laid by, idly, carelessly, and contemptuously.

The Bible is grievously neglected both by rich and poor.  The rich too seldom spare any of their abundant leisure, in storing their minds with the riches of heavenly wisdom; other books, of worldly interest or amusement, absorb almost their whole attention; an unimproving, nay injurious publication, the foolish dream of fiction, will be seized and read with avidity, whilst the oracles of eternal truth are treated with an indifference, that borders on disdain.  The poor, it is true, have but little leisure; sufficient however, if that little were diligently used, to enable them to acquire a considerable knowledge of their Bible; but the great multitude of them seek their refreshment from other sources; from the pollutions of earthly pleasure.  We might have expected better things: having fewer worldly possessions and comforts, it might be thought, that the poor would gladly supply such deficiency by the attainment of spiritual blessings; by raising their hopes and affections to the imperishable treasures of a brighter world to come: but it is too often found otherwise: the enjoyments of earth, however unsatisfactory and even debasing, are preferred to the abundant consolations and happiness of the gospel.

Thank God, there are many bright exceptions to these remarks, both amongst the rich and the poor; the number is great, and we hope increasing, of those to whom “the word of the Lord has been precious;” who have “received it with gladness;” who have “believed with the heart unto righteousness;” who “have seen the salvation of their God.”  But still, when we cast our eyes upon the vast and reckless multitude, we are ready to weep over it and to say, O that ye would know, even ye in this your day, the things that belong unto your peace; before they be hid for ever from your eyes.

From this lamentable neglect of the word of God, we may readily account for the want of religious principle, for the decay of religious character, for the overspreading of corruption and vice, so notorious in the christian world.  The astonishing circulation of the Bible through this country, of late years, might have reasonably led us to hope for a signal diminution of irreligion and crime.  And God forbid, we should be of the number of those who maintain, that no such advantage has been derived from this dissemination of the word of life.  But even the most sanguine person will not contend, that this holy exertion, this spiritual culture has produced a corresponding fruit: thousands of those, who have free access to the Bible, are lying, if not in utter darkness, at least in the shadow of death.  And what is the cause?  The scriptures are not valued in proportion to their extended circulation; they are not read with humble reverential attention, as the holy word of God; not understood or desired, as the fountain of light and life; not sought as a means of spiritual reformation and righteousness: and therefore, we may expect a greater prevalence of iniquity; as a judgment of the just and offended God, for so flagrant an abuse of the knowledge of salvation.

And thus with regard to the preaching of His word: where is that vehement desire, that deep interest, that holy concern to profit withal, which was observable in the days when preachers were few?  We do not say, that it is utterly extinguished; but certainly not proportioned to the opportunities vouchsafed.  How many in this our place and neighbourhood, refuse to travel, even the shortest distance, to hear the gospel; and of those who professedly go to hear it, not a few are led by mere curiosity or custom.  How do we stand condemned by many a less favoured people!  There are indeed lands, at this day, still thirsting for the knowledge of their God and Saviour; lands, to which it has but just been carried, where it is only beginning to be understood; and there the people will instantly repair at the very sound of the good tidings, and wait with eagerness upon the footsteps of the missionary, who bears in his hand the sacred treasure; but here, where the messengers are in every place, where the ministers of reconciliation abound, here are awful numbers, who never enter the house of God, for the single purpose of hearing His word: the gift is continually offered, without trouble or risk, “without money or price;” and, therefore, it would seem, perversely despised.

Similar remarks may be made, concerning all those divine ordinances and means of grace, with which this privileged land has been so richly provided.  The public worship of Almighty God, the holy sacraments of our Church, the instruction afforded to her children, the means of private devotion and godly advancement, all these are pressed upon the notice and acceptance of all; it is not enough to say, that we are invited; we are urged to the participation of these abundant blessings; yet how often are we urged in vain.  At this moment, in some of our countries or dependencies abroad, where Churches are sparingly scattered, and the visits of ministers are few and long between, these divine ordinances are coveted with a painful anxiety, and no opportunity is ever lost: here, in the mother country, is the fountain of blessings, and the “streams are ever flowing withal;” but thousands esteem not these waters of life, and many never care to taste them.

It is impossible, that the truth of these observations can be denied; and to every sincere and serious Christian the subject must afford a painful reflection.  And well does it become us all, each in our several vocations, to exert our utmost power for the abatement of so crying and alarming an evil.  Many of us, I trust, are gratefully sensible of the goodness and love of God, in having so liberally bestowed upon our land the blessings of the word of life; grateful from the experience of its inestimable benefit to our own souls: let each then in his station, and according to his influence and ability, recommend the word to those around him; and assist in waking a slumbering people to a sense of the glorious opportunities awaiting them.  Many, from their education and rank, have it in their power to contribute largely to the success of this glorious cause, to become instruments of righteousness and salvation to their lost fellow-creatures: and the poorest may do much in this blessed work; they may train their families in the study of the Bible, may lead them to adore the God of mercy and of truth, and to save their souls alive; considerable also is the impression, which, by prudence and friendly care, they might make upon their poor neighbours; bringing them to join together in happy union, for the perusal of that word, which is their common interest and hope; which would elevate them above the troubles of a stormy world, would lead them to “lighten one another’s burdens,” and to “go on their way together rejoicing.”  And, to say the least, every one has the power to recommend the holy scriptures by the light of his own example; by shewing, on all occasions, his love for the Saviour’s marvellous goodness; by duly reverencing and reading the word of truth; and manifesting the blessedness thereof, in the decided change of his own heart and temper, in his own character and life.  And all such recommendations, let me add, the Lord is demanding at our hands, in return for His unspeakable mercy.

My brethren, let us suppose, that it should please God, for the heedlessness of this nation, to deprive us of the privilege and blessing of the Bible; and to declare, that the neglected ministry of His word should be continued no longer: we should undoubtedly regard this as the direst calamity, which could possibly befal us; we should immediately and cheerfully consent to any sacrifice, by which so dreadful a token of divine wrath might be averted.  Then let us be consistent; and whilst we do enjoy this invaluable favour of heaven, let it be cherished and improved.  Let the gospel, instead of being less precious to us, on account of its universal publication, and its facility of attainment, be therefore prized the more; and while we adore the Lord of mercy for diffusing this heavenly benefit through our dear and native land, let the treasure be laid up in our own bosom: what is intended for the good of all, is intended for the good of each: to bless God for giving the gospel to our country, and to undervalue or neglect it ourselves, is folly and hypocrisy; but too many individuals, amounting indeed to a large portion of our christian community, are guilty of this folly, and thus exposing the land to judgment, thus endangering “the ark of God.”

All of us, my brethren, do I trust feel thankful to our God and Saviour, who hath honoured us, unworthy as we are, with the revelation of His word, and hath “brought life and immortality to light:” whatever others then may do, let our sense of the gracious gift be undeniably and duly shewn: let us daily have recourse to this holy word, as “the lamp of our feet and the light of our paths:” be it our constant prayer for the spirit of God to open our eyes that we may understand, and our hearts that we may reverence, the wonders of His holy law; that it may be the object and study of our lives, to walk in all those means of grace, which it holds forth for our redemption from sin and death; for our safe passage through this transitory world of trial, to an eternal world of happiness and glory beyond the grave.  If we hear and read and mark and learn, in the spirit of devotion and prayer, we shall continually find new treasures of mercy opening to our view; new and unlooked-for stores of knowledge; new affections and dispositions; new hopes and prospects, in the promises of the blessed Jesus: the word will be a blessing to us through life and even to our journey’s end; a sure guide amid the dangers of prosperity, a powerful support in the day of trouble, an inconceivable comfort when we die.  But if we prize it not in life, how can we expect consolation from it in death?  On the contrary, our spirits will be weighed down by the grievous remembrance of inexcusable neglect.  Be wise in time; lay up in store the good foundation: the word, having been all along precious, will be increasing in value to the last; even until it leads us to the “open vision” of eternal day.

SERMON XVI.
DISTINCTIONS TO BE MADE ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT.

Many false teachers had arisen, even in those early days of the gospel, pretending to set forth the signs of Christ’s coming to take vengeance on His enemies; and therefore the disciples had requested of their Master some certain information on this momentous topic: they “came unto Him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming and of the end of the world?  And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you: For many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many.  And ye shall hear of wars, and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.  All these are the beginning of sorrows.” [291]

Our Lord proceeds to detail a great variety of other circumstances which should occur, some of them belonging to the desolations of Judea, some to the future judgment alone, and some to both these events; of which latter kind is the description connected with the text: “There shall be two in the field; the one shall be taken and the other left.  Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken and the other left:” that is, though destruction shall fall upon the Jewish nation at large, for their rebellion against God, their resistance to the clear evidence of the gospel, their shedding of the blood of His beloved Son, yet shall not all be equally involved in the same calamity and perdition.  Divine providence will then make a distinction between those, who have obstinately rejected and maliciously persecuted the Saviour and His holy religion, and those, whose hearts have been opened to the reception “of the truth as it is in Jesus;” who, being convinced and converted, have become His faithful followers.

And though the whole race be so intermingled, one amongst another, by the various offices and duties and relations of life, that to the eye of man there may be no distinguishable difference amongst them; yet the all-seeing God, who “is a discerner of the thoughts of the heart,” will not be misguided by any outward appearances; will perceive a very manifest difference in characters seemingly alike: will infallibly know whom to punish and whom to spare.  As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, He singled out, and selected for preservation, one righteous person, (and for his sake, a portion of his family also,) so, in the storm of vengeance about to fall upon the devoted city of Jerusalem, He would, in many signal instances, make the same merciful distinction.  And the declaration, thus made, was calculated at once to comfort and encourage the faithful, and to alarm the conscience and check the presumption of the wicked.

The intimation here afforded of the perfect knowledge and the just discrimination of the Almighty, in regard to His judgments upon the Jewish people, applies with peculiar force and truth to His perfect dealings with all mankind, at the last great day.  Although, when Jerusalem was destroyed, it is undoubtedly true, that the faithful disciples of Jesus were generally delivered, yet it cannot be supposed that, in so extensive an overthrow, all the Christians, and all their innocent children, without any exception escaped.  But when Christ shall sit upon His throne of judgment, not one undeserved victim shall there be; and not one, who “has sinned against the light,” shall escape with impunity.  All those inequalities, which are unavoidable in the present constitution of things, shall then be made right and recompensed.  The murdered innocent shall be requited with a robe of glory; and the prosperous sinner be abased with scorn and infamy.

How necessary, how indispensable, for the assertion and execution of divine justice, is the appointment of such a tribunal!  How unequally are deserts distributed in this probationary world!—very often in cases, of which we ourselves may form an adequate opinion.  Not unfrequently do we observe the righteous, doomed to extreme poverty and affliction and suffering; and though they be most graciously comforted and supported under their several burdens, we can hardly imagine, that such alleviation is all the requital they are to receive: and in truth, what is the principal source of their comfort and support?  Is it not the hope of a happy termination?  Is it not the prospect of entering into an everlasting rest, of being for ever delivered from sorrow and pain, in the presence of their Saviour and their God?  And can we believe, that this blessed expectation, vouchsafed as the solace of their woes, will end in disappointment and nothingness?  Does it not point to a day, in which their bright hopes will be more than realized in the merciful sentence of their Judge; in their reception, at His hands and through His merits, of “an eternal recompense of reward?”

And thus, on the contrary, frequently do we see the unprincipled and the profligate enjoying the favour of the world, and rising to no inconsiderable eminence of earthly prosperity: their crosses and vexations and troubles no doubt they have, as the natural fruit of irreligion and vice; as the retributive chastisement of an offended God; “sowing in corruption,” they do certainly more or less reap in sorrow; but still, if there were no other state, their lot would be, comparatively at least, much happier than they deserve; and therefore their condition also leads us to expect, and fearfully does it betoken, a day of fuller retribution; when the infinite justice and truth of God will be finally and perfectly vindicated.

Many cases, like these, of suffering virtue and prosperous vice, we are able clearly to discern: so broad are the lines, so prominent the features, that we can scarcely be mistaken: but perhaps there are many more cases, of which we can form no adequate opinion at all; neither in any instance, could we pretend to award or ascertain the exact degree of merit due to any individual.  When we speak of merit, we do not mean to intimate that any action, in itself, is deserving of reward; we regard works of righteousness, only as the fruit of faith in a crucified Redeemer.  But this fruit is much more abundant, and much more excellent, in some than others; and sometimes, when it makes the fairest shew, the quality is inferior.  By merit then, we here mean the faith and behaviour of a Christian; or, that behaviour by which the faith is manifested; that, to which God has freely promised a reward, for the sake of our great Redeemer.  According to the faith, will the fruit be, both in quality and abundance; and according to the fruit will be the gracious reward; which reward He alone can determine and bestow, who discovers the secret springs of the character and conduct of every man living.

The value of an action depends upon the spirit and principle, with which it is performed; and of these things no one can perfectly judge, but the searcher of the heart.  Even in the christian community, many words and deeds there are, obtaining applause from men, which will be condemned by the omniscient God, as having proceeded from unworthy motives, and being but the garb of hypocrisy; many persons there are, in whose respective demeanour we may be able to trace no very marked lines of difference, who yet differ most essentially, when measured by the scale of infinite truth and justice: all these secret distinctions will be clearly brought to light at the great inquiry on the judgment-day; every one will then appear in his true character; the veil of deception will be for ever torn aside; and of those, who seem alike to us in the present life, we shall find that one will be taken and another left; one taken to glory, and another left to shame and wretchedness and ruin.

It may be useful to mention a few instances, in which we may be deceived in our comparative estimate of men.  Even with regard to the fundamental principles of religion, to a real belief in the truths of the Bible, to the essentials of a christian character, it is possible that we may form very mistaken opinions concerning many around us.  It is true, that insincerity and deceit are commonly, sooner or later, in some degree detected; it is difficult to be always dissimulating, and acting a part; some evil fruit, some inconsistency does generally betray the hollowness of hypocritical pretensions: still however, it is not always so; and doubtless there are some,—out of the number of those persons, whom we are in the habit of considering as equally resting their hopes upon the true foundation, equally believing in Jesus Christ for pardon and salvation, equally zealous in the maintenance of His holy religion and attentive to the ordinances,—some there are, who differ materially from others, in the unerring judgment of God.  They may repair to the same place of worship, perhaps with the same degree of regularity, but with very different views and impressions: we can judge only of the outward appearance, of the posture of the body or the moving of the lips; it is for the Lord to look upon the posture of the soul and the offering of the heart.  Many, no question, come to the House of God from very unworthy motives and for very unworthy purposes; and frequently they do not escape the observance of man; but man cannot penetrate into the case of every individual; to the eye of Jehovah alone are “all things naked and open;” He sees and judges, who come unto Him in humble faith; who approach His tabernacle is a pious frame and temper, with holy affections, with integrity of heart; who “worship Him in spirit and in truth.”  My brethren, it is an awful consideration: but from the same Church, the same christian society, the same assembly of worshippers, “one shall be taken and another left.”

Again, with respect to a discharge of the ordinary duties of life, there may be much real, though little seeming difference, in the characters of many, with whom we are daily acquainted.  Punctuality and diligence, though always commendable and useful for the public good, may be, in as far as the person himself is concerned, of little value in the sight of God; our acceptableness with God, in this matter, depends upon the principle and the view and the spirit, with which the business of life is conducted: it may be carried on merely for the sake of self-interest; of gain, reputation, and pleasure; without any religious feeling or purpose whatever, without a single prayer offered up for heavenly assistance and blessing, without a word of thanksgiving or acknowledgment: or, on the other hand, we may proceed to our daily employments and pursuits, “strong in the Lord and in the power of His might;” imploring and depending upon His grace; “doing whatever we do for His glory;” active and diligent and faithful, from a sense of love and duty to Him, for the sake of obeying the law of our blessed Redeemer, and thus bringing forth the fruit of faith unto perfection; “living soberly, righteously and godly in this present world,” [302a] with the continual hope and expectation of a glorious world to come.  Now, whether industry be the work of religious principle, or whether it arise merely from selfish and earthly views, we are often unable to decide: but God knoweth all the thoughts of man; and therefore can assign, to every action and habit and pursuit, its true origin and its due reward; and many persons, it will be found at last, who have gone forth together unto their labour, who have been engaged in the same occupations, have toiled together as companions in life, will be separated when the day of full inquiry comes; the one, having “sown unto the spirit,” shall be taken to enjoy the fruit of life everlasting; the other, having “sown unto the flesh,” shall be left to “reap corruption.” [302b]

Similar observations will of course hold good, with regard to the practice of particular virtues.  They, “who give alms only to be seen of men;” who dispense their bounty from any other principle, than that of love to their Saviour; for any other purpose, than to serve God and to benefit their fellow-creatures; they “have their reward” already—the only reward, which they are caring to seek—the applause, the good will, or the esteem of mankind: and they must not expect, on the latter day, the reward which they seek not; the approval of their sovereign Lord; the praises and blessings of christian charity.  Again, they who exercise the virtues of honesty or sobriety, merely for the sake of worldly expedience or reputation, will likewise “have their reward” all the reward they are to expect, in this life.  Christian faith and christian principle are the only foundations, upon which a Christian can surely and successfully build; they, who build upon them, will be taken to see the goodly fabric perfected in heaven; whilst every work, which is raised upon “other foundation,” will be left to desolation and devouring fire.

And even they, who have communed together, through their earthly pilgrimage, in the bonds of familiar intimacy; who have been united all their lives long, by the nearest and dearest ties of kindred; even they will be subject to the same discriminating judgment at the last.  If they have been bound together in the holy bonds of the gospel, as well as of family affection; if they have been faithful brethren in the Lord, as well as in the flesh, “walking with God as friends,” it will be well; then, as they “were lovely and pleasant in their lives, in their deaths they shall not be divided:” [304] together shall they go to heaven, and be admitted to enjoy a more delightful communion with each other, in the happy paradise above.  But if it be otherwise, if such friends be of opposite characters; the one “carnally” the other “spiritually minded;” then, their ends must be opposite also; “death” is the portion of one, “life and peace” [305a] of the other: their union therefore must be dissolved.  The world may regard all the members of a family, as nearly alike in character; but the difference may nevertheless be great; and the distinction, in another world, will be great also.  The wicked parent shall see its innocent offspring no more; the pious father shall not deliver the undutiful child, nor the obedient child its rebellious father; [305b] each can save but his own soul.  How feelingly and powerfully does this consideration appeal to christian families; admonishing them, to regard not the present only, but the everlasting welfare of each other; to “edify one another” in holiness and godly love; lest, after they have been so intimately connected together upon earth, while the one is taken to felicity and glory, the other be left to “mourning, lamentation and woe.”

How are christian parents bound, to watch over the offspring they so tenderly love!  Watch they do, with continual anxiety, for the temporal benefit of their children, for all that can minister to their comfort and honour and advancement in life: they rejoice in the joy of their children, and weep when their children weep: but O how infinitely more important is the provision for eternity: earthly ties will soon be broken; how important, that we should provide for a happy renewal of intercourse and love hereafter!  Parting now, to meet no more, were enough to break the heart; but the bright prospect of a re-union in paradise consoles and reconciles; forbidding us “to sorrow as those who have no hope.”  See then, ye christian parents, to the nurture and training of the “olive branches round about your table;” bestow, upon their spiritual well-being, an especial and exceeding care; that ye may behold them “flourishing in the house of the Lord” above: that, whether ye be taken from them, or they from you, there may be comfort in the parting.  See, all christian relatives and friends, by whatever name ye are endeared; see that ye live not in worldly, but heavenly affection: instructing, admonishing, animating one another in the profession of the true faith and the exercise of all godliness; that so your converse and communion may never be embittered by the fear of eternal separation.

Lastly, let the truth, here declared by the infallible word of God, check the presumption of the careless and the wicked; and give comfort and encouragement to the faithful.  The worldling may fancy, because no great distinction, between him and others, is made upon earth; because he perhaps can see no great reason for such distinction; that, therefore, he shall escape in the end; but in the day when “God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ,” [307] when “every one shall receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad,” [308] he will find, that an immeasurable distinction will be made between him “that hath served God, and him that hath served him not;” between him, whose heart has been given to his Creator and Redeemer, and sanctified by the Spirit of grace, and him, who has only made it his object to maintain a decent appearance in the world.  If we do believe in the final judgment, if we believe in the perfect truth and justice of the Almighty, we must conclude, that this fearful difference will be made.  And if it were so dreadful a calamity, to be left to fall in the tremendous overthrow of Jerusalem, what will it be, to be left an everlasting-prey to the tortures of Satan and of sin?

But let the true believer, the righteous servant of God in Jesus Christ, take encouragement and comfort: there is no exercise of faith, no holy meditation, no fervent prayer, no religious deed, no pious intention or design, however secret from the eyes of men, which can escape the notice of their heavenly Father: though justice is not, cannot be, done to their characters here; though sometimes the greatest injustice and injury and wrong; yet shall they be triumphantly and gloriously vindicated at the last: though they be on earth forsaken or oppressed, though they bear the burden of private affliction or public scorn, in a “world which is not worthy of them,” they shall be visited and acknowledged and received at the last; shall lift up their heads with honour and with joy, and be admitted into a kingdom, which is more than worthy of all their faith and all their constancy; the Redeemer has marked them for His own; He will single them out, on the last day, from the crowd of countless multitudes, as objects of his compassion and favour; will take them into the arms of His mercy, and so “they shall be forever with the Lord.” [309]

SERMON XVII.
GOD MADE MAN UPRIGHT; MAN MAKES HIMSELF MISERABLE.

In this remarkable book, Solomon discusses the various earthly means employed by the human race, for the attainment of happiness; and he decides upon the utter insufficiency of them all.  Nor is he to be regarded as making the enquiry from mere matter of speculation, but as declaring to the world the result of his own experience, as well as the counsels of the Most High.  Exalted to the very summit of worldly prosperity and greatness, and learned in all the arts and sciences, he possessed advantages, in the pursuit of happiness, far beyond the common lot of mortality; if it were to be found upon earth, he would have been sure, in himself or some of his favoured dependents, to have made the discovery.  But he declares, by many remarkable repetitions, his utter inability so to do; he gives up the matter as hopeless and impossible; “all, (even the fairest and the best of human schemes,) is vanity and vexation of spirit;” “that which is crooked cannot be made straight, and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.” [311]

And this conclusion corresponds with the experience of mankind in every age: happiness has always been their object; philosophers have laid down rules for its acquirement, and every variety of expedient has been tried; but all in vain; there is no permanent pleasure or satisfaction upon earth: independently of the crosses and vexations from without, by which it is so continually disturbed, there is something in the constitution of man, in the present state of his mind and heart and affections, by which the attainment of happiness, from temporal means alone, is positively forbidden.

The royal preacher, thus convinced of this truth, turns his thoughts to a solution of the case, and sums up his observations, on the conduct and condition of man, in the words of the text.  Instead of arraigning, like some bold and impious cavillers of our day, the wisdom or goodness of the Creator in the introduction of evil into the world, he gives the true account of the matter; and lays the blame where alone it is due, upon the disobedience and degeneracy of man.  And in so doing, he bears testimony to the truth of one of the most important communications made to us in the revealed word of God—the original innocence and the fall of our first parents.  This fact has been daringly called in question by certain professed believers of divine revelation, by some who boast themselves peculiarly entitled to the christian name.  Anxious to exalt the moral excellency of human nature, and to disprove the doctrine and necessity of the atonement, through the prevailing efficacy of the Saviour’s incarnation and sufferings, such vain disputers absolutely deny, in the very face of God’s word, that any such total and dreadful change has ever taken place in the state of mankind; they contend, that our understandings and affections are now the same, as when we came originally from the hands of our Creator.  It appears, however, that the wisest of men took a different view of this momentous subject; that he received the Mosaic account, recorded in the opening of the book of Genesis, according to its plain and natural interpretation; and he has delivered to us his judgment, by the inspiration of that Holy Spirit, under whose guidance it was impossible for him to err.

Solomon introduces his declaration upon this point in a very awakening manner; in a manner frequent with the inspired writers, when about to deliver a sentence of peculiar weight and importance; “Lo, this only have I found;” behold, attend to this truth; this is the result of my observations, this the “conclusion of the whole matter,” this the explanation of all the evil and unhappiness in the world, that “God hath made man upright, but they have sought out many inventions;” that man was created innocent by the wise and merciful Author of his being; formed for pure unalloyed enjoyment; and the marring and misery, which he experiences, are solely attributable to the change induced by his own apostacy and rebellion; to his seeking out ways and means of happiness, contrary to the will and appointment of his Creator.  “God saw every thing that He had made, and behold, it was very good;” [314] and man, the lord of creation, was not less fitted than the objects around him, to answer the good and gracious purposes of heaven.  So God “created man in His own image; in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them;” [315] in the image of holiness, and therefore happy.

How far man has fallen from this state of uprightness, is a question which has caused much difference and contention in the christian world; some persons, from a desire of exalting the free grace of God, declare that the divine image in man was totally corrupted and lost by the fall; that there remains, in his unregenerate nature, no spirit or particle of excellency, no perception of what is good; that his nature is a mere chaos of disorder, a mass of decay, which is altogether incapable of producing any thing but “confusion and every evil work.”  On the other hand, it is contended, that the wreck of man’s nature was but partial; that there remains a considerable disposition to practice, as well as approve, “whatsoever things are pure and honest and lovely and of good report;” that man is still able, by his own judgment and strength, in many things to please God and to serve Him.  It does not fall within our purpose, on the present occasion, to attempt any accurate adjustment of this difference; but we may observe, that it is dangerous to insist upon either extreme.  A belief, that man can will or do nothing, is apt to lead to a persuasion that he has nothing to will or do; that his salvation is a work totally independent of himself; a measure of grace absolutely forced upon him: and a belief, is that man able of himself to “refuse the evil and to choose the good,” that he “knows how to walk and to please God,” creates a spirit of self-righteousness, at once destructive of the sinner’s hope; preventing his dependence upon the all-sufficiency of God, and subversive of the truth of the gospel.

A faculty of discernment between good and evil, for the moral government of man, is evidently vouchsafed to his unrenewed nature; and a power, in dependence upon the divine teaching, to accept or reject the proposals of mercy and grace, does surely remain to us, or else the numberless exhortations of God to the sinner appear to be of no benefit and no meaning: and who can reasonably suppose, that sinners would have been so frequently and severely condemned, for refusing that grace, which they were positively incapable of accepting.  The language of our ninth Article on this point appears to be most temperate and unobjectionable: “Man is very far gone from original righteousness, and is of his own nature inclined to evil, so that the flesh lusteth always contrary to the spirit.”  With this statement we may rest content.

One of the many bitter fruits of the fall is, that man no longer seeks his happiness in God, where alone it can be found, but in ways of his own devising, in the crooked ways opened to his view and imagination by the destructive enemy of his soul; no longer in innocence and holiness and obedience, but in vicious inclinations and pursuits, “in the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life;” [317] in those very principles and means, which brought “death into the world and all our woe:” it is no wonder, therefore, that happiness, from a search like this, should not be found.  They, who search in this manner, are like the wicked spirit, “walking through dry places, seeking rest and finding none;” like the dove of Noah, in the overwhelming of the waters, roving about on weary wing, and finding no resting place for the sole of her foot.  Nor is it possible for man to be blessed again with perfect peace, peace without any interruption or alloy, until he be altogether restored to “the image of Him that created him:” the nearer he approaches to that restoration, the more he will assuredly possess of true satisfaction and delight; but the blessing can never be complete, till the original defilement be utterly purged away, till his understanding is enlarged for a full knowledge of the good and great and glorious Creator; till he can be brought to love and serve Him without any mixture of infirmity; till he returns not only to His favour, but into His immediate presence, in the second Eden, of eternal bliss.

Still may man enjoy, even upon earth, no inconsiderable degree of peace and happiness.  The promises and blessings of the gospel impart a “joy and gladness” to the believer, and fill him with comfort, which the world can neither give nor take away: the avoiding and abhorring of evil will prevent those painful reflections, which inhabit the mind of the reckless sinner: the life of faith in a merciful Saviour, the worship and service of God, the works of piety and love, the walk of uprightness and integrity, though accompanied with imperfections, and, therefore, with abatements of comfort, yet do infallibly produce a great tranquillity of soul, and unspeakable emotions of holy joy; the sincere Christian contemplates his present condition with happy, though humble persuasion of acceptance with his God; and looks forward with an animated exulting hope of the perfect consummation of his felicity, in another and a better world.  The trials and troubles of this life do indeed still continue; yet they have no power to harm, and therefore none to distress him; he “casts his burden upon the Lord.”  But in the natural, unrenewed, unconverted world, there is no such redeeming principle, no qualification of evil, no pure sources of delight: let the votaries of earthly enjoyment seek it with what ardour and devotedness they may, it is a phantom which is ever eluding their grasp; flitting before their eyes in the shape of promises and visions, but never in substantial possession.

It is indeed sadly instructive, to consider the numberless devices to which men are driven, in their search after happiness, when once they have forsaken the faith and fear of God; how busy they are in the invention of new scenes and pursuits; quitting one after another, as each deceives and fails; how they are wearing and wasting away the little span of life, in vain experiment and profitless enquiry.  How are the opulent contriving their multiplied means and opportunities of enjoyment, with all their splendour of establishment, and a train of dependents obedient to their will!  And if we could form a judgment by outward appearances, we might be inclined to pronounce them happy: but under this beautiful veil, with all this pomp of circumstance, many a corroding care, many a mortified desire, many a bitter disappointment, lie constantly concealed.

To envy the rich, as if they were the certain possessors of comfort and ease, is one of the greatest of all mistakes and follies; happiness must dwell in the mind and the heart; it must depend altogether upon the state of mind and heart; it is not to be purchased with money; money, we must grant, may be made to minister to it, but this must entirely depend upon the disposition, the spirit, the manner, in which it is used: the smallest pittance upon earth, possessed in the faith of the gospel, in the fear and love of God, produces infinitely more enjoyment, than the countless treasures of those, who seek or spend or save them, with a view to themselves and this world alone.

Some are revelling in the dreams of ambition; and imagine, that if they could attain a particular eminence, they should be happy: but the road is steep and slippery, toilsome and dangerous; and the summit, if ever they reach it, is not a land of repose, not the habitation of contentment and peace; “seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not.” [322]  Ambition is always dissatisfied; if not the most unclean, it is one of the most tormenting spirits in the bosom of man; and yet it is fondly and generally cherished both by rich and poor.  Be humble; be moderate; be content; if thou wouldest be happy.