The Character and Happiness of the True Christian

HINTS OF SOME MEDITATIONS ON THE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIRST SACRAMENT, JANUARY 7, 1740.

This was the very day that my dear friend, Mr. Palk, died, which was indeed a very sorrowful exercise to me, and my fears of that approaching calamity were painful; yet I bless God, that I had some comfortable impressions at his table from those words, “The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.” Psalm xxii. 26. I observed, that this scripture united in one express view the character and happiness of the true Christian. The character: — they are those who are meek on the earth, and who seek the Lord. They are meek under provocation; and this not through a meanness of soul, but through a true greatness. They do not think so highly of provocations as many do. They give up self-interest; and they see so much to pity in the offender, that they are ready to forgive the offence; and that even where the injury is greatest. And the view of their great Master promotes this. They remember, how he was “brought as a lamb to the slaughter.” They think of his dying words, “Father forgive them; for they know not what they do!” Luke xxiii. 34. And they carry this meekness so far as not only to pardon, but to love, and to pray for their enemy. Think, Christians, are there any that have injured and offended you? May the Lord forgive them: may the Lord bless them with spiritual blessings. “What do I wish more, than for the conversion, reformation, and salvation of my greatest enemy: and that not tor the satisfaction of seeing him humbled before me. Lord, if I were sure he would forget that he had ever injured me I should rejoice in the thought.” Considering meekness in general as humility, it is the Christian’s character; he quiets himself before God, and his soul is as a weaned child, that, if it cannot have the breast, soon grows quiet without it, and reconciles itself to such food as it may have. A deep sense of meanness and of guilt before God humbles the soul. And when is it more humbled than at this ordinance, when it sees itself at table with the King of heaven, and looks forward to its complete felicity? Delightful, yet abasing thought! and delightful because abasing. “Who am I, O Lord, and what is my service, that thou hast brought me hither?” They seek God, through Christ: — they seek God; they see how desirable his favour is, and they long for it above all things; they have a certain nobleness and generosity of soul which engages them to long, to pray, to cry for the Divine presence, which they expect through Christ. They see grace dwelling in him, dwelling with men for his sake; they therefore seek an interest in Christ with the greatest ardour — with none but Christ; and they are seeking him continually, well knowing what the presence of Christ means. Then consider his blessing; “They shall eat, and be satisfied” with the provision of their own table, and their own loaf: their table is blessed; wherever it be, how mean soever their lot, they have what God has sent; they are in the condition which he has chosen, which is always vastly better than what we have deserved; it is his great goodness, they say, to choose thus; and to choose nothing for the present greater. “Prosperity might have destroyed me. O, sweet to think, that all comes from the hand of my God.” In this sense, the little that a righteous man hath, is better than the abundance of the wicked; yea, sweet is a dinner of herbs with His love. The Christian is satisfied still more with the provisions of God’s table. Royal fare! and yet what to an eye of sense? who has not every day better? — a morsel of bread, a little sup of wine; who would purchase them by the time spent here? But thy loving-kindness, Lord, is infinitely better than food. To feed by faith upon Christ; O how tasteful is this heavenly

manna! O how reviving in this sense is his blood! This is meat indeed, and this is drink indeed.” How often are the Christian’s hopes so enlightened, and his soul so nourished, that he rises in the strength of its expectation, and goes many days’ journey to the house of his God.

“They shall praise the Lord;” and how pleasant is that, when the heart overflows with love! it even revives our animal nature, and is, as it were, an anticipation of heaven. “Your heart shall live for ever.” Short words, but O how comprehensive! — when the soul bears forward in its ideas, and launches into the ocean of eternity; when it presses forward through the immensity of space; when it measures its duration no more by days, by years, by centuries, by ages, or by millions of ages, but finds itself encircled in the omnipresence of the eternal God. When I fall into such contemplations as these, when I see these opening scenes, I think I am still with thee; that thou art still my God, that still I shall praise thee: — then, ever living, my heart shall beat high with everlasting joy, and, its motion never ceasing, its pulse shall never tremble nor grow faint, but spring on with everlasting vigour. Delightful thought! Let this heart that thus shall live for ever now ascend in a flame of holy love to its God and Father, and pour itself out in lively prayers to him.