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莱尔主教holiness-第121章

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   crossChrist ever interceding for me at God's right handChrist
   dwelling in my heart by faithChrist soon ing again to gather me
   and all His people together to part no more; Christ is enough for me。
   Having Christ; I have unsearchable riches。'〃


   〃The good I have is from His stores supplied;

   The ill is only what He deems the best;

   He for my Friend; I'm rich with nought beside;

   And poor without Him; though of all possess'd:

   Changes may e; I take or I resign;

   Content while I am His; and He is mine。


   〃While here; alas! I know but half His love;

   But half discern Him; and but half adore;

   But when I meet Him in the realms above;

   I hope to love Him better; praise Him more;

   And feel; and tell; amid the choir divine;

   How fully I am His; and He is mine。〃
     __________________________________________________________________

   '47' Every well…informed person knows that; to the apprehension of most
   people; the Quakers and Plymouth Brethren appear to ignore the
   ministerial office altogether。
     __________________________________________________________________

XIX。
WANTS OF THE TIMES

   Men that had understanding of the times。〃1 Chronicles xii。 32。

   THESE words were written about the tribe of Issachar; in the days when
   David first began to reign over Israel。 It seems that after Saul's
   unhappy death; some of the tribes of Israel were undecided what to do。
   〃Under which king?〃 was the question of the day in Palestine。 Men
   doubted whether they should cling to the family of Saul; or accept
   David as their king。 Some hung back; and would not mit themselves;
   others came forward boldly; and declared for David。 Among these last
   were many of the children of Issachar; and the Holy Ghost gives them a
   special word of praise。 He says; 〃They were men that had understanding
   of the times。〃

   I cannot doubt that this sentence; like every sentence in Scripture;
   was written for our learning。 These men of Issachar are set before us
   as a pattern to be imitated and an example to be followed; for it is a
   most important thing to understand the times in which we live; and to
   know what those times require。 The wise men in the court of Ahasuerus
   〃knew the times。〃 (Esther i。 13。) Our Lord Jesus Christ blames the Jews
   because they 〃knew not the time of their visitation;〃 and did not
   〃discern the signs of the times。〃 (Matt。 xvi。 3; Luke xix。 44。) Let us
   take heed lest we fall into the same sin。 The man who is content to sit
   ignorantly by his own fireside; wrapped up in his own private affairs;
   and has no public eye for what is going on in the Church and the world;
   is a miserable patriot; and a poor style of Christian。 Next to our
   Bibles and our own hearts; our Lord would have us study our own times。

   Now I propose in this paper to consider what our own times require at
   our hands。 All ages have their own peculiar dangers for professing
   Christians; and all consequently demand special attention to peculiar
   duties。 I ask my readers to give me their minds for a few minutes while
   I try to show them what the times require of English Christians; and
   particularly of English Churchmen。 There are five points which I
   propose to bring before you; and I shall speak of them plainly and
   without reserve。 〃If the trumpet give an uncertain sound; who shall
   prepare himself to the battle?〃 (1 Cor。 xiv。 8。)

   I。 First and foremost; the times require of us a bold and unflinching
   maintenance of the entire truth of Christianity; and the Divine
   authority of the Bible。

   Our lot is cast in an age of abounding unbelief; scepticism; and; I
   fear I must add; infidelity。 Never; perhaps; since the days of Celsus;
   Porphyry; and Julian; was the truth of revealed religion so openly and
   unblushingly assailed; and never was the assault so speciously and
   plausibly conducted。 The words which Bishop Butler wrote in 1736 are
   curiously applicable to our own days:〃It is e to be taken for
   granted by many persons; that Christianity is not even a subject of
   inquiry; but that it is now at length discovered to be fictitious。 And
   accordingly they treat it as if; in the present age; this was an agreed
   point among all people of discernment; and nothing remained but to set
   it up as a principal subject of mirth and ridicule; as it were by way
   of reprisals for its having so long interrupted the pleasures of the
   world。〃 (Butter's Analogy; Introduction。) I often wonder what the good
   Bishop would have now said; if he had lived in the present day。

   In reviews; magazines; newspapers; lectures; essays; and sometimes even
   in sermons; scores of clever writers are incessantly waging war against
   the very foundations of Christianity。 Reason; science; geology;
   anthropology; modern discoveries; free thought; are all boldly asserted
   to be on their side。 No educated person; we are constantly told
   nowadays; can really believe supernatural religion; or the plenary
   inspiration of the Bible; or the possibility of miracles。 Such ancient
   doctrines as the Trinity; the deity of Christ; the personality of the
   Holy Spirit; the atonement; the obligation of the Sabbath; the
   necessity and efficacy of prayer; the existence of the devil; and the
   reality of future punishment; are quietly put on the shelf as useless
   old Almanacs; or contemptuously thrown overboard as lumber! And all
   this is done so cleverly; and with such an appearance of candour and
   liberality; and with such pliments to the capacity and nobility of
   human nature; that multitudes of unstable Christians are carried away
   as by a flood; and bee partially unsettled; if they do not make
   plete shipwreck of faith。

   The existence of this plague of unbelief must not surprise us for a
   moment。 It is only an old enemy in a new dress; an old disease in a new
   form。 Since the day when Adam and Eve fell; the devil has never ceased
   to tempt men not to believe God; and has said; directly or indirectly;
   〃Ye shall not die even if you do not believe。〃 In the latter days
   especially we have warrant of Scripture for expecting an abundant crop
   of unbelief:〃When the Son of man eth; shall He find faith on the
   earth?〃〃Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse。〃〃There
   shall e in the last days scoffers。〃 (Luke xviii。 8; 2 Tim。 iii。 13;
   2 Peter iii。 3。) Here in England scepticism is that natural rebound
   from semi…popery and superstition; which many wise men have long
   predicted and expected。 It is precisely that swing of the pendulum
   which far…sighted students of human nature looked for; and it has e。

   But as I tell you not to be surprised at the widespread scepticism of
   the times; so also I must urge you not to be shaken in mind by it; or
   moved from your steadfastness。 There is no real cause for alarm。 The
   ark of God is not in danger; though the oxen seem to shake it。
   Christianity has survived the attacks of Hume and Hobbes and Tindalof
   Collins and Woolston and Bolingbroke a
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