ING OF THE WORD. We shall thus which the Spirit uses; and of the word He It shall accomplish that which I please, and it osper in the thing whereto I sent it. Conviction s one great design of God in sending his minisThus Nineveh was led to repent.* Thus Baruch ected to go and proclaim the words of the Lord this hope-It may be they will present their supon before the Lord, and will return every one from I way. Jer. xxxvi, 7. >ther blessed result of hearing aright is, that IT >D'S METHOD OF IMPARTING FAITH TO HIS 'LE. Faith is undoubtedly God's gift. '(John ;' Matt. xvi, 17; Phil. i, 29;) but the way in h it pleases him that it should BEGIN, is by hearing truth. Rom. x, 17. We look in vain for faith ng those who know not divine truth, and never hear word of God. But Paul describes the faith of Alluding to the repentance of the people of Nineveh, imer says, "Jonah was but one man, and he preached but sermon, and it was but a short sermon neither, as touching number of words, and yet he turned all the whole city, eat and small, rich and poor, king and all. We be many eachers here in England, and we preach many long sermons, d yet the people will not repent nor convert. This was the it, the effect, and the good, that his sermons did, that all the hole city, at his preaching, converted and amended their evil ing, and did penance in sackcloth. And yet here in this =rmon of Jonah is no great curiousness, no great clerkliness, no reat affection of words, nor of painted eloquence; it was none her but Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be destroyed! It was o more. This was no great curious sermon; but this was a ipping sermon, a pinching sermon, a biting sermon, it had a all bite, it was a rough sermon, and a sharp-biting sermon. Do you not here marvel that these Ninevites cast not Jonah in prison, that they did not revile him and rebuke him? They did not revile him, nor rebuke him; but God gave them grace to hear him, and to convert, aud ameud at this preaching. A strange matter, so noble a city to give place to one man's sermon!"-Sermon on Luke xii, 15. ING OF THE WORD. We shall thus be led t acknowledge the perfection of the law of God, and the wretchedness and insolvency of man, and be me humbled and contrite before God. This is the spa work of the Holy Spirit through hearing. Acts i, It is founded on a knowledge of God's holy law requ ing constant and undeviating obedience in thought = well as in word and deed, and of our own innumeris, violations of that law, and utter inability to fulfil :* on a view of the unspeakable loving-kindness of 2. Lord, and our own vile, ungrateful, hard, and e hearts. Then our guilt is not extenuated, but confesse and our natural corruption is not brought forward ast excuse, but as au aggravation of our many offer! This conviction arises from a cordial reception cir' truth. This important effect of the instruction of isters is independent of their endeavours. There is unavoidable defect in the teaching of ministers, t they cannot answer as to the result in particular case! But the Spirit of God, through them, does much mer! He not only presents in the word the truths which !* designs to teach, but he also opens the heart to recer them-The Lord opened Lydia's heart that she attendi to the things which were spoken of Paul. As soon mig the blind reason themselves into sight; or the deaf in hearing, as we, by any powers of our own, remove the blindness and hardness of our hearts, and become tru contrite and penitent. As the mighty works of Chris were performed by his miraculous and visible interfer ence, so it is no less necessary for the Holy Spirit h his real, though invisible interference, to awaken a renew the dead souls of men, and convince them of sin. But though repentance and conviction of sin are th the work of the Spirit, yet the preacher is the chie which the Spirit uses; and of the word He ~:s, It shall accomplish that which I please, and it rosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Conviction is one great design of God in sending his minisThus Nineveh was led to repent.* Thus Baruch irected to go and proclaim the words of the Lord this hope-It may be they will present their supion before the Lord, and will return every one from il way. Jer. xxxvi, 7. other blessed result of hearing aright is, that IT OD'S METHOD OF IMPARTING FAITH TO HIS PLE. Faith is undoubtedly God's gift. (John .4; Matt. xvi, 17; Phil. i, 29 ;) but the way in ch it pleases him that it should BEGIN, is by hearing truth. Rom. x, 17. We look in vain for faith ong those who know not divine truth, and never hear word of God. But Paul describes the faith of Alluding to the repentance of the people of Nineveh, timer says, "Jonah was but one man, and he preached but e sermon, and it was but a short sermon neither, as touching e number of words, and yet he turned all the whole city, eat and small, rich and poor, king and all. We be many eachers here in England, and we preach many long sermons, d yet the people will not repent nor convert. This was the uit, the effect, and the good, that his sermons did, that all the hole city, at his preaching, converted and amended their evil ving, and did penance in sackcloth. And yet here in this rmon of Jonah is no great curiousness, no great clerkliness, no reat affection of words, nor of painted eloquence; it was none ther but Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be destroyed! It was o more. This was no great curious sermon; but this was a ipping sermon, a pinching sermon, a biting sermon, it had a all bite, it was a rough sermon, and a sharp-biting sermon. Do you not here marvel that these Ninevites cast not Jonah in rison, that they did not revile him and rebuke him? They did not revile him, nor rebuke him; but God gave them grace to ear him, and to convert, aud amend at this preaching. A trange matter, so noble a city to give place to one man's ermon!"-Sermon on Luke xii, 15. Christians as following hearing the word of truth. Eph. i, 13. Faith springs from the word, as the ing plant from the root, and as the rays from the Sun. 1 is impossible for any one to become a believer in Chis but through some part of revealed truth made kne to him.* The PROGRESS of faith proceeds in the s way from hearing. At first, we are weak in faith, little children, but the word is as milk to the you (1 Cor. iii, 1, 2.) and as meat to the strong men, (E v, 14.) by which both are nourished and strengthene And the PERFECTING of faith is connected also the ministry of the word. St. Paul shews at ** length that ministers are appointed for this end, the perfecting of the saints. Eph. iv, 11-13. R hearing of the word nourishes till it perfects faith. will be found true, in general experience, that in p portion as the whole truths of God are clearly broa before the minds of men by the public ministry of t word, and as they faithfully and constantly attend so true Christian faith, with all its blessed effects, spread and increase. The reason is, it is promis * Latimer thus meets the objection made from his admiti that some of our forefathers might be saved without hearing"But some will say, What need we preachers then? Gods save his elect without preachers. A goodly reason! God c save my life without meat and drink, need I none therefore God can save me from burning if I were in the fire, shall I into it therefore? No, no; I must keep the way that God hat ordained, and use the ordinary means that God hatli assigned and not seek new ways. This office of preaching is the on ordinary way that God hath appointed to save us all by." Sermon on Matt. xxii,2. The Reformers insisted much on this. Cranmer, in b Catechism published in 1548, gives this exhortation—“For much as faith is the work of God and the light of our hearts, which God putteth in us by his word and Holy Spirit, (so that we cannot attain faith and the knowledge of Christ withou! |
