again are these bones they, who, though the mercies of God have been made known to them-though they have been joined in covenant with him in the laver of regeneration, and by Christian education have been made acquainted with the doctrines of his grace, are yet sinners, dead in trespasses and sins; in whose hearts the pervading influence of spiritual life is dried up; who are withered by evil passions; burnt up and bleached by the fierce heat of lusts, which have parched, as it were, their souls. What, then, was the question, put by the Spirit to the prophet? Was it not, Was it not," can these bones live?" And what his answer? "O Lord God, thou knowest." And such must our answer be too. It is a hard, apparently, and hopeless task-impossible to man-to bring back to the favour of God, and to spiritual life, the servants of sin, who are dead seemingly to the impressions of good; who do but glory in their shame; and are given up to work all uncleanness with greediness. But, O Lord God, Thou knowest. What is impossible with man, is possible with God. As the Lord promised to the house of Israel, even to these dry bones, to give them a new heart, and to put a new spirit within them: to take away the stony heart out of their flesh, and to give them a heart of flesh: so is He able now to work mightily by his quickening Spirit, and to raise, even from "the death of sin to the life of righteousness," the guilty and lost souls, which His power only is effectual to save. As he commanded the Prophet, saying, "Son of man, prophesy upon these bones, and say, O, ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord;" so does he now command his ministers to preach the tidings of His saving grace, even to those hardened sinners who, but for it, are lost indeed: to call to repentance and newness of life, even those who have perished through sin, and are lying as lifeless skeletons—as dry and withered bones in the valley of the world. Alas! there are very many such, and lo! they are very dry. But let those dry bones but hear the word of the Lord: let but the penetrating and quickening influence of His grace find access to their hearts; and they shall arise up, and be clothed again with the fleshly covering of life; and God shall put breath into them; and they shall live, and know that He is the Lord. And hence results a twofold application-to the ministers of religion in the first place; and to the sinners, whom it is their office to address in the second-to the one not to relax in their efforts to the other not to despair. Ministers are herein taught not to neglect their great commission, viz. the preaching of free pardon upon repentance to all who will turn to the Lord, however lost their state may seem. Often indeed it is a painful task, and one which, did the event depend upon ourselves, we might be tempted to relinquish in despair. But the power of One mightier than man is engaged with us. The words we speak are His, not our own. They are His terms of pardon. His promise of a new principle of life we proclaim : not any devised by or emanating from ourselves. Let us not then shrink from proclaiming in their fulness and freeness the glad tidings of salvation by the atoning blood of Christ. Let us not forget, that our office is that, which our Lord also declared to be His, when He said, "I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." And, again, let sinners learn-even they, whose hearts, hardened by indulgence in sin, seem as these dry bones altogether devoid of spiritual life, that even to them God by the voice of his ministers says, "O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord." God is now calling you to awake, and to rise from your death of sin. Hear His voice; and He will raise you up. He can do it, though men can not. He will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit within you, if will seek it of Him in prayer. He will bring you from death to life, if ye will follow the motions of His good Spirit, who now calls upon you to repent. God hath no pleasure in the death of a sinner, but rather that he turn from his wickedness and live. "Cast away" he says "all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed, and make you a new heart, and a you new spirit; for why will ye die O house of Israel 2 ?" But though it is the command of God to his ministers thus to preach to sinners dead in trespasses and sins the power of his redeeming love, and renewing grace, it may seem that there ought not to be found such in a Christian congregation. They, who are assembled to hear the word of God, do at least profess to desire to listen to His voice to have been awakened from the dead lethargy of sin at His bidding; and to be endeavouring under the guidance of His grace to walk with Him in newness of life. If then, my brethren, this be the case with you, remember that it is His work; and to Him be the glory and the praise. If, when you were dead in trespasses and sins, Christ has quickened you with spiritual life, and made you partakers of His salvation: and if now 66 ye are washed, ye are sanctified, ye are justified3," ever remember to give thanks to Him for this His great mercy; and know that "it is God alone that maketh thee to differ from another "." 4 But let us not be hasty to deceive ourselves in this matter. Let us not think, that our being here is any sure proof that we are here in the power of the Spirit of God, and quickened unto life by Him. "All are not Israel that are of Israel 5" All are 2 Ezek. xviii. 31. 3 1 Cor. vi. 11. 5 Rom. ix. 6. not attired in the wedding garment of their Lord, who are summoned to his marriage feast; and who sit down at his wide-spread board. Remember, that when the prophet prophesied as he was commanded, "There was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together bone to his bone; and the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above; but there was no breath in them." May we not fear, that something of this kind is not unfrequently the case among ourselves; and that the condemnation attaching to a formal and dead profession may haply be exhibited in some of us ? 6 It is not the attendance at the public ordinances of religion: it is not the use of any or all the means of grace, which is a sure proof of a soul quickened by the power of the Holy Spirit, and a heart brought into conformity to the law of God. If we may "receive the grace of God in vain "," much more may we receive in vain all the means of grace. We may be constant attendants at public worship, readers of the Scripture at home, habitual in prayer, regular partakers even of the holy communion of the body and blood of Christ: but if we are doing these things from form; from habit; from regard to character and appearances; and not 62 Cor. vi. 1. S |