countenance, and goodly to look upon. But this was not the reason why the Lord chose David. What reason, then, did the Lord assign to Samuel? "The Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." The Lord is taken with the heart. Now, we are very fond of looking on the outward appearance. If, in this respect, a man does not come up to our standard of religion, or to our experience, down with him, and if down, let him be put down lower. "Now the Lord looketh on the heart." He sees not as man sees. Man is taken up with confidences which will not profit him. He shall not prosper in them. Blessed are they who are taken up with the Lord's confidences-with the beloved David whom He hath chosen, and in whom is all His delight. O Lord enable me to reject the confidences which Thou hast rejected, and to trust the confidences which Thou hast chosen. This shall serve for the first part of my subject, which may be regarded as the dark side of my sermon.

Consider, Secondly, what the confidences are which the Lord Himself accepts! You may depend upon it that God's confidences will be right. The Lord will take all our own religion from us. He strips us of all false confidences that we may feel and know that there is nothing between our feet and the Rock-no clay, no mire, no sand-but our feet naked and bare fixed on the Rock of Ages, Christ Jesus the Lord. Now, then, who and what is thy confidence? In the 65th Psalm, and the 5th verse, we read, "the Lord is the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the broad sea." This is something like. Now, this sounds well. It does not say thy feelings, nor thy fleshly prayers, nor thy carnal doings are thy confidences; but THE LORD is "the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the broad sea." Jehovah, then, is our confidence, and when we speak of Jehovah, we mean the Trinity in Unity in Covenant work. The God of love and grace-the Lord Jesus Christ in His blood-shedding and redemption-work on behalf of the Church-the Holy Ghost in the outpouring of His quickening grace, regenerating, directing, guiding, keeping, sanctifying, and finally bringing the sinner saved to the kingdom of glory. Jehovah in Covenant is the confidence of His people.

Let me give you a few examples to show you that I am not speaking wide of the mark. Job says, "I know that my Redeemer liveth." Here, you see, the Redeemer was his confidence. "And that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another." This was Job's confidence! What did Paul say? "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day." I know my confidence is Christ, and I desire to be found only in Him, not having mine own righteousness and confidence, but the righteousness and confidence of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. What does John say? "We know that we are of God; we know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, ever in His Son Jesus Christ." He is the true God and eternal life. Here is the object

of their faith, the foundation of their hope, and the confidence on which they relied for their salvation. Take a few examples from the 11th chapter of Hebrews. See how it comes out. Abel's sacrifice was accepted-why? Because God was his confidence. Thus Enoch was translated, and why? Because the Lord was his confidence. God testified that He was pleased with him before He translated him. Noah built an ark-why? Because God was his confidence. Now, during the one hundred and twenty years he was building the ark, doubtless, he endured much from the enemy; but the Lord was His confidence. The Lord took care of Noah when the old world perished. Look at Abraham, God was his confidence, "when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance," he "obeyed, and he went out not knowing whither he went." The Lord was his confidence. Look, again, at Isaac ;-how he blessed Jacob. The Lord was his confidence. Jacob blessed the children of Joseph. The Lord was his confidence. Joseph gave directions concerning his bones. The Lord was his confidence. And what is said of Moses? "That he chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season." He had an eye to Christ-his confidence. He esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. But time would fail me to give all the examples. The Lord is the Confidence of His people. "Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his confidence." "Thou art my hope, O Lord God, and my confidence from my youth." Blessed, indeed, is the man whose confidence the Lord is.

Let us now notice the persons who have the Lord for their confidence. There is something here which does not spring from nature's barren soil. What is it? They are Spiritual men. Only Spiritual men can understand Spiritual things. What is it Paul says upon this point? When we look at the 1st of Corinthians, and the 2nd chapter, we find in the 14th verse"The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them :" Why? Because they are spiritually discerned." Thus, then, a person must be a spiritual person before he can see God as his confidence, or receive "the things of the Spirit of God," or understand spiritual things. Worldly men very frequently give their opinions about spiritual things, but they cannot understand them. Spiritual things must be spiritually discerned. He then that is spiritual judgeth or discerneth all things. Yet, he, the spiritual man is not judged nor discerned by the natural unregenerate man. He that is after the spirit will mind spiritual things. Men become spiritual by the Holy Ghost. "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you." believers are described in God's word as having spiritual understanding. (Col. i. 9). They are blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus (Ephesians i. 3). They are a spiritual house, and offer spiritual sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ (Peter ii. 5). Every believer is a spiritual stone in this spiritual building. The Holy Ghost has placed him there. For this spiritual house there is spiritual food. It is said of Israel of old when passing through the wilderness, they "did all eat the same

All

Have

spiritual meat and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ" (Cor. x). All these expressions have a spiritual meaning, and point to the Lord Jesus Christ. The manna which fell in the wilderness spiritually set forth Christ as the true manna from Heaven on which believers feed and feast. The water from the rock spiritually means the blood and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then there are spiritual gifts in the Church of God (1 Cor. xii. 1). And the Lord puts spiritual songs into the hearts of His children that they may sing and make melody in their hearts to Him (Ephesians v. 19). These spiritual persons shall have their spiritual bodies in the resurrection morning (1 Cor. xv). All who answer to the description here given have Jehovah for their confidence. These persons are joined to the Lord and are one spirit. Their covenant confidence is the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob. This God is the God of their desires and longings, He is the living God to whom they look and on whom they rely. What does David say in the 42nd Psalm? "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God." you this mark of panting after God? If so, the Spirit has put this Godly desire into you. What more? "My soul THIRSTETH for God, for the living God," not for a dead God:-" When shall I come and appear before God?" These were the Psalmist's ardent spiritual desires and longings after the God of his salvation. Let us now examine the 63rd Psalm which brings out a great deal of spiritual experience and truth. "O God, Thou art my God;" my covenant God, "early will I seek Thee my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is." This is the spiritual longing, and the ardent desire of a real child of God. What more? Thy power and Thy glory, so as I have seen Thee in the sanctuary. Because Thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise Thee. Thus will I bless Thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in Thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise Thee with joyful lips: when I remember Thee upon my bed, and meditate on Thee in the night watches. Because Thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of Thy wings will I rejoice. My soul followeth hard after Thee Thy right hand upholdeth me." Now, you see, these are the spiritual desires and the spiritual longings of a man who has got God for his foundation, his hope, his trust, his confidences, and his all. We shall now refer to the 73rd Psalm, and then leave the subject with you. David says, "Nevertheless I am continually with Thee: Thou hast holden me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in Heaven but Thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever." You will now see the

"To see

confidence of the Psalmist. You will now understand what confidences the Lord rejected, and what confidences He accepted. The Lord hath made with me an everlasting covenant ordered in all things and sure. This is all my salvation and my desire. To close this subject, just look

at the two confidences, the false and the true, as brought together in contrast in the 17th chapter of Jeremiah. Of rejected confidences he says "Cursed is the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited." They that trust in such confidences as these shall "not prosper in them." Of accepted confidences, he says, "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope (confidence) the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit." Here then is prosperity and the reason is this, because the Lord is the confidence of all them that put their trust in Him. May the Lord Jehovah Father be our confidence in His covenant love! May the Lord Jesus be our confidence in His blood and righteousness-and may the Holy Ghost be our confidence in His unfolding of the things of Jesus to our souls, quickening us, reviving us, preserving us, and finally bringing us to glory. "Thus saith the Lord, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches. let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord." O Lord, Thy confidences are sure confidences. Cause me to rest upon

them both now and for evermore-Amen and Amen.

But

SERIES 1. No. 5.

"SONS OF GOD."

A SERMON

PREACHED BY THE

REV. J. BATTERSBY

(Vicar of St. Simon's, Sheffield),

AT ST. GEORGE THE MARTYR'S, SOUTHWARK, LONDON,

WEDNESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 1ST, 1875.

The First General Epistle of John, the 3rd Chapter, and the first part of the 2nd Verse.

THE last time I had the pleasure of addressing you our subject was "REJECTED CONFIDENCES." In speaking upon this subject, I have no doubt, but that nearly all, if not all, the religion of mere professors was shown to be false religion. True, towards the conclusion of the subject, we tried to point out to you the only true Confidence of the people of God. The Lord is thy Confidence. Our object this evening will be to enlarge upon and to enforce this important truth upon you. We shall also state what are the evidences and privileges of those who are indeed the children of God in order that we may test ourselves.

FIRST,

There are three things which I purpose to bring before you. the TITLES which are given to Christians,-Sons of God,- SECONDLY, the Christian's EVIDENCES, and THIRDLY, the Christian's PRIVILEGES. These three divisions will cover the whole subject which I intend bringing before you this evening.

Now, in speaking of the FIRST of these-the TITLES which are given to Christians. We find in God's Word that Christians are called doves, and eagles,because there is some resemblance between them. They are also likened to sheep, and to lambs, and to lions, they are said to be