LECTURE XV. History of Balaam. 202 2 Pet. ii. 15, 16. These are gone astray, following the way of Balaam, the son of Bofor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness. But was rebuked for his iniquity : the dumb afs, speaking with man's voice, forbad the madness of the prophet. LECTURE XVI. History of Balaam. 216 Numb. xxiii. 10. Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Ifrael? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his ! ECTURE XVII. History of Balaam. 228 Rev. ii. 14. But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the children of Ifrael, to eat things facrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. SACRED SACRED BIOGRAPHY. LECTURE 2 TIMOTHY i. 8, 9, 10. I. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner : but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel, according to the power of God; who hath faved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began ; but is now made manifeft by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. EVERY difpenfation of the Divine Providence seems to be the basis and the preparation of a farther display of wisdom and goodness. The last discovered purpose of the Eternal Mind, is the continuation, the extenfion and the improvement of that which immediately preceded it; and the glory hitherto displayed in the ways and works of God, however excellent, is hastening to lose itself in " a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" yet to be revealed. Periods of immeafurable, incomprehenfible duration had flowed, before this fair and majestic frame of nature was VOL. IV. called B called into existence. For we read of a purpose of grace formed and given "before the world began," and of "a kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world;" of an election made, and of "eternal life promifed, of God who cannot lie, before the foundation of the world." Who can tell what systems have preceded that which now exists? We know from fcripture that one more glorious is to fucceed it. "According to his promife, we look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteoufnefs." * And who can tell what future systems may arife in endless progression ? As well might the fluttering infect, which was born in the morning and perishes at night, prefume to dive into the ages beyond the flood, or with bold, adventurous wing attempt to foar into the heaven of heavens, and declare the wonders of the world of spirits. But though system may fucceed system, though difpenfations change, one thing is immutable, " the gracious purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will." One great object was kept in view before the world began, is still kept in view through the whole extent of its duration, and is to be pursued through the endless ages of eternity. Do you need, christian, to be told what it is? The falvation of the world by Christ Jefus. It is a little thing to say, that Abraham faw his day afar off: that of him Mofes wrote, Ifaiah prophefied, David fung and Paul preached. "These things the angels defire to look into." On this exalted theme the everlasting counsels of peace revolved; to mature them, the powers of heaven and earth were fhaken; and to bring them to their confummation, a new creation shall expand infinite space, and a fuccession of ages that are never, never to expire. Placed at whatever point in this immense sphere, our eyes are still attracted to the glorious Centre, from which all light and life and and joy issue, and in whose light every inferior orb revolves and shines. The epistle of the great apostle of the Gentiles from which I have taken the subject of this Difcourse, is addressed to Timothy, whom he styles his "dearly beloved fon in the gospel," and who had been ordained first bishop of the church of the Ephefians. Paul himself was at that time a prifoner at Rome, and totally uncertain respecting the issue of a cause which affected his life, before the imperial court. What mercy, what justice was to be expected from fuch a prince as Nero-the monster who could fire his country, shed the blood of his virtuous preceptor, and destroy his own mother? But we behold in the prifoner a fpirit much exalted above the fear of a tyrant, a mind prepared for the worst that could befal him, and expressing anxiety, not about personal safety, but about the fuccefs of the gofpel, and the stedfastness of a beloved difciple. He folemnly charges that disciple not to fuffer himself to be one moment shaken in the faith, by the perfecution to which the cause of Christ had expofed himself, or the ills which he might still be called to endure for the testimony of Jesus : 'and, to enforce his charge, he suggests a view of the gospel which eclipfes all created glory, " stills the enemy and the avenger," plucks from death his sting, and robs the grave of its boasted victory. He represents Timothy and himself as engaged in a cause, which the great God himself, before all worlds, regarded as of fuperior importance, and made peculiarly his own; which "at fundry times and in divers manners" he disclofed, and which at length, "by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, he made manifeft" to all men. Paul glories in the idea of being a worker together with God in this generous design; in his appointment to the office of " a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles," in the great mystery of godliness; in displaying and difpensing to a guilty, perishing world, the unsearchable riches B2 riches of Christ-who had "abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gofpel." -In tracing the history of the patriarchs who lived both before and fince the flood, from Adam to Abraham, and from Abraham to Mofes, we have endeavoured to point out this unity of design, this steadiness of co-operation, this progress of discovery. By whatever name the typical person is designed, patriarch, prophet, high-priest, under the Old Testament difpenfation; whatever be the designation of the ministring servant under the New, apostle, evangelist, pastor or elder, the office and the end of the institution is one and the fame-to declare the Son of God, the Saviour of men, "for the perfecting of the faints, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the meafure of the ftature of the fulness of Chrift."* Borne down the current of divine revelation, we have arrived with Ifrael at the mountain that burned with fire, and at awful distance, with trembling eyes, beheld its fummit involved in clouds, clothed in terror; and with wonder and joy contemplated the cloud difperfing, the thunder ceasing, the terror done away, and Mount Sinai transformed into Mount Zion. Whatever farther progress we make, in whatever direction we proceed, we shall find this exceeding high mountain still in view; and, whether under the conduct of the leader and commander of Ifrael, or of the Champion of Christianity, we are equally led by "one" and the fame "Spirit" in "one hope" to "one Lord, one faith, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in all.'† We shall endeavour to connect our past and following Course of Lectures, by the view here presented to us by the apostle, of the plan of Providence in the redemption of the world; and the execution of it, " by the * Eph. iv. 13. † Eph. iv. 5, 6. |