ING OF THE WORD. We shall thus ket acknowledge the perfection of the law of God, wretchedness and insolvency of man, and b humbled and contrite before God. This is the work of the Holy Spirit through hearing. Acti It is founded on a knowledge of God's holy law ing constant and undeviating obedience in thoug well as in word and deed, and of our own in violations of that law, and utter inability to fu on a view of the unspeakable loving-kindness Lord, and our own vile, ungrateful, hard, and hearts. Then our guilt is not extenuated, but confes and our natural corruption is not brought forward excuse, but as an aggravation of our many offe This conviction arises from a cordial reception truth. This important effect of the instruction of isters is independent of their endeavours. Theres unavoidable defect in the teaching of ministers. they cannot answer as to the result in particular But the Spirit of God, through them, does much He not only presents in the word the truths which designs to teach, but he also opens the heart to ret them-The Lord opened Lydia's heart that she alter: to the things which were spoken of Paul. As soon the blind reason themselves into sight; or the deaf hearing, as we, by any powers of our own, remove blindness and hardness of our hearts, and become tr contrite and penitent. As the mighty works of Chis were performed by his miraculous and visible interte ence, so it is no less necessary for the Holy Spirit! his real, though invisible interference, to awaken i renew the dead souls of men, and convince them of s But though repentance and conviction of sin are the the work of the Spirit, yet the preacher is the ch THhich the Spirit uses; and of the word He It shall accomplish that which I please, and it 1910sper in the thing whereto I sent it. Conviction As one great design of God in sending his minis Thus Nineveh was led to repent.* Thus Baruch elected to go and proclaim the words of the Lord Et effect their enter The teach the real this hope-It may be they will present their supon before the Lord, and will return every one from ι way. Jer. xxxvi, 7. other blessed result of hearing aright is, that IT D'S METHOD OF IMPARTING FAITH TO HIS LE. Faith is undoubtedly God's gift. (John 1;' 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, opereat 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 Puit, 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 formon 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 hyo more. This was no great curious sermon; but this was a ipping sermon, a pinching sermon, a biting sermon, it had a fall 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 mi humbled and contrite before God. This is the spec work of the Holy Spirit through hearing. Acts It is founded on a knowledge of God's holy law requ ing constant and undeviating obedience in thoughtf well as in word and deed, and of our own innumera violations of that law, and utter inability to full s on a view of the unspeakable loving-kindness of Lord, and our own vile, ungrateful, hard, and hearts. Then our guilt is not extenuated, but confess and our natural corruption is not brought forward excuse, but as an aggravation of our many offer This conviction arises from a cordial reception or 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 m He not only presents in the word the truths which designs to teach, but he also opens the heart to reces them-The Lord opened Lydia's heart that she atten to the things which were spoken of Paul. As soon mi the blind reason themselves into sight; or the deaf in hearing, as we, by any powers of our own, remove th blindness and hardness of our hearts, and become tr 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 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 the work of the Spirit, yet the preacher is the chie thus ין which the Spirit uses; and of the word He ~~:8, It shall accomplish that which I please, and it the lead to the re the mu also open Lyda's her rosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Conviction 1 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 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, thog 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, seat and small, rich and poor, king and all. We be many eachers here in England, and we preach many long sermons, id yet the people will not repent nor convert. This was the Puit, 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 wers of offermon of Jonah is no great curiousness, no great clerkliness, no ur hearts the might ulous and ther but Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be destroyed! It was ary for the Do you not here marvel that these Ninevites cast not Jonah in erference, prison, that they did not revile him and rebuke him? They did not revile him, nor rebuke him; but God gave them grace to and conv hear him, and to convert, and amend at this preaching. A Viction of strange matter, so noble a city to give place to one man's preacher sermou!"-Sermon on Luke xii, 15. Christians as following hearing the word of truth. Eph. i, 13. Faith springs from the word, as the ring 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 know 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 s length that ministers are appointed for this end, e 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 ge portion as the whole truths of God are clearly broa before the minds of men by the public ministry of 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 admitte that some of our forefathers might be saved without hearing"But some will say, What need we preachers then? God 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, + 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 without |
