SERMON XXIII. THE BREVITY AND RESPONSIBILITY OF ISAIAH XXXVIII. 18, 19. For the grave cannot praise thee; Death cannot celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot declare thy truth; But the living, the living, he shall praise thee as I do this day; and the father to the children shall make known the goodness of the Lord. IT is one of the instinctive weaknesses of the human mind to shrink from the contemplation of death; it is one of the hardnesses of the human heart to remain practically and essentially unbiassed by that contemplation, when, in the dissolution of a neighbour or an acquaintance it obtrudes itself on our thoughts; it is one of the facts made manifest by the book of nature that we shall all die; it is one of the facts revealed to us by the book of grace, that we "shall not die eternally." A due consideration of these two facts cannot fail to make us perceive the folly and sinfulness of the two foregoing propensities, R namely, the weakness which turns with horror from every prospect of the tomb; and the hardness of heart which prevents the consciousness of approaching death from influencing our living conduct. The text which I have chosen for the illustration of these premises, is the reflection of an inspired writer, and contains in it the very essence of sound policy and wisdom. It comprehends an eternal truth, and a most clear and natural inference. The truth is asserted in the first verse, addressed by the king of Judah to his God. "The grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee;" the inference follows. "But the living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day, and the father to the children shall make known the goodness of the Lord." I. From the book of revelation, we gather the following particulars. The forbidden fruit, which conveyed to our first parents the knowledge of good and evil, brought upon themselves and entailed on their successors the doom of death and a corrupted state of nature. Nevertheless, the Almighty would not entirely forsake the favourite work of his hands. He promised to Eve, even during his anger at her disobedience, that "her seed should bruise the serpent's head," a promise which was fulfilled by the accepted atonement of our Saviour, who again “brought life and immortality to light." The father of the human race, before he forfeited Paradise, dwelt in a state of continual peace and joy. His delighted spirit conversed with his Maker in prayer and thanksgiving; his body was free from the attacks of pain and sickness; no passions agitated, no fears alarmed him; and, to consummate his perfect happiness, a fit companion and partaker of bliss was allowed him in a being formed from himself, a loving and beloved wife. You all know, My Brethren, how these bright prospects of perennial felicity were suddenly overclouded by the insidious arts of our eternal enemy; you all know the fatal story of our ancestral fall; how the temptation of the evil spirit prevailed over female vanity; how the seductive influence of his partner was first employed to the detriment of man, and how they both transgressed the commandment of their munificent Creator, who was not to be provoked with impunity. The woman, the first offender, was condemned henceforward "to bring forth her children in sorrow ;" and to Adam the Almighty said, "because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of that tree whereof I commanded thee, saying, thou shalt not eat thereof, cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life, thorns also and thistles shall it produce to thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of thy brow shalt namely, the weakness which turns with horror from every prospect of the tomb; and the hardness of heart which prevents the consciousness of approaching death from influencing our living conduct. The text which I have chosen for the illustration of these premises, is the reflection of an inspired writer, and contains in it the very essence of sound policy and wisdom. It comprehends an eternal truth, and a most clear and natural inference. The truth is asserted in the first verse, addressed by the king of Judah to his God. "The grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee;" the inference follows. "But the living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day, and the father to the children shall make known the goodness of the Lord." I. From the book of revelation, we gather the following particulars. The forbidden fruit, which conveyed to our first parents the knowledge of good and evil, brought upon themselves and entailed on their successors the doom of death and a corrupted state of nature. Nevertheless, the Almighty would not entirely forsake the favourite work of his hands. He promised to Eve, even during his anger at her disobedience, that "her seed should bruise the serpent's head," a promise which was fulfilled by the accepted atonement of our Saviour, who again “brought life and immortality to light." The father of the human race, before he forfeited Paradise, dwelt in a state of continual peace and joy. His delighted spirit conversed with his Maker in prayer and thanksgiving; his body was free from the attacks of pain and sickness; no passions agitated, no fears alarmed him; and, to consummate his perfect happiness, a fit companion and partaker of bliss was allowed him in a being formed from himself, a loving and beloved wife. You all know, My Brethren, how these bright prospects of perennial felicity were suddenly overclouded by the insidious arts of our eternal enemy; you all know the fatal story of our ancestral fall; how the temptation of the evil spirit prevailed over female vanity; how the seductive influence of his partner was first employed to the detriment of man, and how they both transgressed the commandment of their munificent Creator, who was not to be pro voked with impunity. The woman, the first offender, was condemned henceforward "to bring forth her children in sorrow ;" and to Adam the Almighty said, "because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of that tree whereof I commanded thee, saying, thou shalt not eat thereof, cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life, thorns also and thistles shall it produce to thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of thy brow shalt |