upper form in heaven. He was so pleased with Elijah's zeal, that he exercised his miraculous agency, and made ravens feed him, rather than devour him. Stephen spake boldly of him before the Sanhedrim; and before he died, he opened heaven to him, and showed him Jesus standing at the right hand of God, ready to receive him. Did John go about saying, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols "— "Little children, love one another;" and incorporating in these the spirit of love? John shall be taken to an island, all the purposes of Jehovah shall be opened to his vision, and he shall then see what God is soon to do upon the earth. Does Paul serve him? He shall be "caught up to the third heavens," and hear words which it was not lawful for him to repeat. Do not expect miracles to be performed in your case, or displayed in your behalf; but believe it, teachers, that if you aim to win precious souls to God, he will manifest himself to you, as he does not, ordinarily, to the world. "To him that ordereth his conversation aright, will I shew the salvation of God." Oh! the comforts of his love: are they not better than life? Oh! to have the seal of his Spirit in my heart, that I am his! Oh! to see that heaven is my own, and that when I die, I shall be with him, and "shall be like him!" To have this in one's spirit, what bliss does it not impart! And must not that be true wisdom, which will bring this to me, and seal it in my heart? And by-and-by I shall stand before him : the whole world is to be at his bar. Who will he then single out? The people that have ministered to others, and have proved the truth of their religion by their actions. Lord, say they, when the repetition of their deeds is made, when did we this? We have forgotten it; they were such slight actions, that we thought but little of them. Oh! "inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, my little ones, ye have done it unto me." And then, while he recognizes the act, to see those eyes beaming beauty and light, darting into my heart and my countenance, and the voice, in the tenderest and sweetest tones that ear ever heard, saying to me" Come, thou blessed child of my Father, enter into the inheritance prepared for thee: "Come in, thou blessed; sit by me; With mine own blood I've ransom'd thee, Come, taste my perfect favor." Oh! to hear that voice! Will it not be enough, Christian, will it not be enough, teacher, for you? may live to prosecute your work effectually; and then you shall see, that your teaching, both to others and to yourselves, has not been in vain. But now what shall I say? I have already, I fear, exhausted your strength and patience; but I cannot part with you, without one word; it is to impress a thought, which I have already thrown out, the more upon your attention: prepare much for winning souls. Souls are not won by ignorance; ignorant teachers are not the individuals that God ordinarily employs to win souls. Some have winning manners, but shallow and uninstructed minds. Now if any of you have a class which you have brought on as far as you can, do not look black if the superintendent should one day come and say, It is time some of these dear children were removed from your class to another! That teacher has better qualifications, he knows, than yourself, for these great objects. I sympathize with you; I know the pang of parting with a child, after you have had that child sometime in your class; and yet your feelings are not to be your guide, but that child's salvation is to be your object; and whether John, or Thomas, or Peter, or Andrew is the best teacher to guide that child to heaven, let him have that teacher so that he is best instructed in his way thither. My beloved, I fear that many of us want a great deal of instruction, yet, in the science of humility. Do you repeat that lesson once a-week to yourselves"Let each esteem others better than himself?" That is the first round of the ladder; but a great many persons climb to the upper rounds, and fall down. Begin with that round and you are safe, and shall ascend, gently and surely, to the highest and most distinguished posts that teachers can enjoy. Let me beseech all of you, then, as far as lies in your power, to labor to prepare the mind for instruction. Read the Bible with notes, and take all the means which are furnished you, for the purpose of aiding your instruction. Study well those cheap, well-prepared, and judicious notes, published by the Sunday School Union; and as most children learn the same lessons, take care that those notes, and particularly the practical reflections, with whatever other reflections occur to your own mind, after you have been with God in prayer, are thoroughly impressed upon your mind, so that you shall have them when you go to the class, ready for delivering; and you will find the benefit of it. Then there is one thing, in order to this; and with that I close. Prayer must be always associated with your labor; prayer to get God's Spirit, the spirit of love, tenderness, and sympathy, and forbearance, and zeal. If you are much with God, you cannot go among the children without communicating something of these feelings: and they soon perceive it. You need not tell a child that you have been with God in prayer; persons belonging to a Christian Church have no reason to talk much about having communion with God. If they have, it is like ointment in their right hand; it is sure to betray itself. There is something in their manner and temper, that people tell, just as if a delicious ointment was rubbed on a man's hand, and he goes into a house, and endeavors to hide it; the smell of it spreads everywhere. And if this be the case with you, my Christian friends, you will show it to the children in your spirit and conduct, which they soon understand. Be assured, teachers, from the Book of God, that Divine influence in teaching is every thing to you. You may use all means, and communicate all knowledge, but it will be in vain without this. Therefore, hear this last sentence "It is not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." Get that, and you shall "win souls" to your blessed Master. SERMON XXVII. THE TRANSMISSION OF SCRIPTURAL TRUTH TO POSTERITY. BY REV. J. BELCHER, D. D. "I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old; which we have heard, and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, showing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children; that the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments."-PSALMS lxxviii. 2-7. "WHATSOEVER was written aforetime, was written for our instruction, that we, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope." The perpetuity of divine truth, and the enlargement of its boundaries in our world, has ever been an important object in the arrangements of divine providence. While the modes of its communication to the world, its constantly increasing splendor, and the happiness it casts around it wherever its light shines, commands our admiration, we cannot be less impressed with the fact, that notwith standing its opposition to our depraved nature, and in spite of the inveterate malice borne to it, it yet maintains its standing and extends its triumphs; proving that the God of truth will ever assert his supremacy, disappoint his enemies, and make man happy. In contemplating the history of Scriptural truth, it is truly interesting to observe how its great author can raise up instruments to make it known. There have been periods when comparatively little attention has been paid to it, and when ignorance and idolatry have threatened to prevail; but at such times, he who has the residue of the Spirit has caused holy influence to descend on some of his servants, who have thus been strong to do exploits. Such appears to have been the case in connection with the psalm before us. We cannot be quite certain either as to its author or occasion; but the opinion of Calmet and others appears quite probable, that it was composed by Asaph, many years after the death of David, in the reign of Asa, the third king of Judah. For twenty years, during the government of Jeroboam and Abijah, had these tribes departed from God; but when Asa, a pious young man, came to the throne, he adopted means for the revival of true religion, while Asaph reminds his brethren of the blessings of divine Revelation made known to their fathers and handed down to them, and enforces the importance of their being impressed on the minds of the rising generation. Similar instances of the kindness of God in reviving attention to his cause might be referred to in the history both of the Old and New Testaments; nor scarcely less interesting are the circumstances of this kind which have passed before our review within the last sixty years. But the passage we have read as a text, has an especial reference to human duty in connection with this great subject. We are fully aware of its comprehensive character, and of the vast variety of trains of thought which it would present to every contemplative mind; but the one subject, to the brief illustration of which our present attention will be directed, is that of the transmission of Scriptural truth to posterity. And, if we have not mistaken the whole character of our text, it presents to us four grand arguments why we should zealously devote ourselves to this duty. The first is derived from the peculiar character of scriptural truth. The second arises out of the manner in which we have been put into its possession. The third is drawn from the divine arrangements as to its communication from one class of persons to another. And, The fourth will be seen in connection with the great results it is intended to produce. It will be apparent to all of you, that the utmost which can be attempted by the preacher, on this occasion, will be a very imperfect glance at each particular of this scheme. I. The first argument in favor of zealous exertion for the transmission of scriptural truth to posterity, is derived from THE PECULIAR ITY OF ITS CHARACTER. The knowledge of temporal affairs, of human sciences, and of the various things which contribute to present happiness, is vastly important, and it would be cruelty to withhold it from the young; but here we have before us a volume of truth, a series of discoveries, and precepts of duty which angels could not have given us, but which are put into our hands while they are even yet withheld from the vast mass of mankind. When the inspired psalmist speaks of the Holy Volume as a testimony which Jehovah had established, a law which he had appointed, and as designed to show forth his praises, and to exhibit his power, and his wonderful works, we understand the expressions as denoting the whole of the Sacred Records, in all their fulness, and purity, and beauty. And who can examine this book without grateful admiration and astonishment? Look at its revelation of God. The eternity of his existence, the extent of his power, the penetrating character of his omniscience, the grandeur of his holiness, and the immutability of his perfections, overwhelm us; his regard to man, the manifestations of his love, and the continuance of his favor, notwithstanding our sins, fill us with grateful delight. The history of what he has done, the statement of what he is doing, and the announcement of what he designs, all inspire us with thankful emotions for the possession of such a Book. We rejoice that we have a testimony which is infallibly correct, as we receive it from truth itself; and though the testimony bears most affecting witness against our wicked feelings and base conduct against God, yet the very pain it excites is salutary, and contributes to the happiness to which the Book of God tends. Look at the instruction it affords, as to our duty. While it presents God as our Creator and Benefactor, it demands that we love him; while it describes the whole human race as children of one common family, it calls for mutual and universal love; it identifies our duty and our happiness; and deriving its sanctions from eternity, it calls us to the discharge of present duty. It inculcates our pursuit of happiness for ourselves, our bestowment of our regards on our fellow-men, and the consecration of all our powers to God. Oh, how glorious the word of God considered as a law! |