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ORIGINAL SERMON BY THE LATE REV. C. WOLFE.

No. II.

"PSALM cxlii. 1, 2, 3.-O Lord, thou hast searched me and known me, thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thoughts afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways."

IF God, instead of being everlastingly present amongst us, were to visit us only after certain periods, it is probable that his return at the appointed time would produce a very powerful impression upon our minds. While indeed we knew him to be far away, we might perhaps feel it a great relief to be released from the terrors of his observation, and we might venture more boldly upon deeds that we would not wish him to behold, and upon language that we would not wish him to hear. But when we perceived the appointed hour approaching, when God was to be again in the midst of us, what trepidation, what alarm, what anxiety, what watchfulness, what preparation of the heart, what self-examination would there be, lest, at his arrival there should be found a deed upon our hands, a whisper upon our lips, or a spirit within our hearts that might provoke his indignation. How often should we look at the finger of the clock, to observe how much it wanted of the time. And then, at length, when the clock struck, and the hour was come, and we knew that His eye was at that moment opening again upon our hearts, "Oh Lord! Who would abide thy coming? And who would stand in thy presence ?" And yet the fact is, every moment of our lives is such as we have been now considering. Our God is not a God of days, and weeks, and years, and intervals: the Holy One of Israel doth not slumber: He is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever; this moment, and every moment of our lives we have the Almighty within us, about us, and all around us, surveying with one silent, steadfast, and unbroken look the current of our works, our words, and our imaginations. Every one of us, like the King

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of Israel can say, "O Lord thou hast searched me out and known me. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways, for there is not a word in my tongue, but thou, O Lord, knowest it altogether, thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me." If a spirit were to cross our path every day, and stand by our bed every night, would not our heart tremble and be moved out of its place; how much more when we are watched by the eye that cannot endure iniquity, and beset by him in whose hands are the issues of life and death? But perhaps some man, alarmed and bewildered may say, Is there no hiding-place? No means of escape? "Whither shall I go from His spirit, and whither shall I flee from His presence?" The Psalmist, who asks the question, gives the answer," If I ascend up to Heaven thou art there; if I make my bed in Hell, thou art there also ; if I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy right hand hold me. If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me, even the night shall be light about me; yea, the darkness hideth not from thee, but the night shineth as the day; the darkness and the night are both alike to thee.” He seems to explore all the corners of the universe for a hiding place from the Almighty, and he finds none. If we fly from God in one place, it is only to find him in another; and for these two plain reasons; first, because we meet him wherever we go, for wherever we go, we find him in the works of the Almighty power, his inventive wisdom, and his sustaining providence. And secondly, because we carry him with us wherever we go, "for in him we live, move, and have our being." So, there is no place of escape. But the great question is, wherefore should we wish for escape? Why should the presence of the Lord be terrible to any of his creatures, creatures who have derived all their blessings and their happiness from his hand? Should it not rather for ever be loved, and courted, and enjoyed? And yet, we know well, too well, how often we have wished him far away, how often we have wished that his ear were closed to our words, and his eye blind to our deeds and our imaginations. And if it were now discovered that there was a spot within your reach where you could retire from his presence and escape his observation; how often would you seek for its shelter? This cannot be safe; how can a man wish to escape from God's presence and be safe? It appears unnatural that we should feel uneasy in the presence of Him, who is the Author and Giver of all good. Nor was it so from the beginning. Time was, when all this that makes our hearts tremble and our spirits sink within us was delightful unto man. When man was first created, and formed in the image of him who made him, it was delightful to him to know, "that the Lord searched him out, that he was with him at his down-sitting and his uprising, and that he compassed his paths and was acquainted with his ways." It would have been misery to him to have thought, that he could, for one instant go from his presence, and fly beyond the reach of his holy spirit, for in his presence he found fulness of joy. But, as soon as the deed

was done, the first sin in the records of human wickedness and human misery, it is related, that Adam "hid himself from the presence of the Lord God," and, from that moment, it has been a terrible thing to the natural heart of man to know, that the Lord compasseth his path and searcheth him out; and he looks about for escape. Whether shall I go from thy presence? If we had the history of our past life before our eyes, how many pages would we blot out for ever, if we hoped we could thus blot it out from the memory of the Almighty? Upon how many scenes do we look back with consternation, when his eye was then upon us, even as it is at this moment? And, above all, to think that the hours of our greatest pleasures, when we felt ourselves most at home, when our enjoyments were keenest and most gratifying, were those in which we had most forgotten him that had beset us behind and before, and laid his hand upon us? when we felt as if we had indeed attained some spot, where we knew no more of his presence and his Holy Spirit? It is the fearful and melancholy testimony of the human heart, that the carnal mind is enmity against God, that we feel there is a separation between us and the Almighty; and what reason have we to suppose, that it will not continue through all eternity? That we should be for ever and for ever wishing, there were some place where we could fly from his presence? (the very idea we have of the devils themselves and of the nature of their misery is, that they endeavour to cast themselves out of the reach of his presence). While we were yet enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself. There is one Mediator between God and man, the beloved Son, in whom he was well pleased; and whom yet he gave for our sakes. By his blood have we all access to the Holy Presence, and by him may we be restored to the glorious liberty of the Sons of God. We are reconciled to the searcher of hearts, whom we before regarded with terror, and from whose presence we wished to escape. But how are we reconciled by Christ? How does his blood, which atones for our sins and our offences, overcome the natural terror which we feel in the presence of the Holy God? How, while it pays the dreadful penalty of our past desertion, does it at the same time make us love what we before hated, dreaded, and seek what we before avoided? He sends forth the spirit of that Son into our hearts, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. He takes away the spirit of bondage and of fears and gives us the spirit of adoption, that enables us to approach him as our Father. He not only reconciles us by his death, but he gives us the spirit of reconciliation, by which our hearts are changed, and we again delight in the presence of him who weighs our thoughts in the balance, and whose eyelids try the children of men :-Now then the solemn question by which our everlasting welfare must be determined, is, Have we received this spirit of reconciliation? for the Scripture pronounces, "If any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his." If a man have not this spirit, he has no fellowship in the blood of

Christ,—no title to the merits and the atonement of the Saviour. Have we received this spirit? Recollect it is the spirit of reconciliation, it is the spirit that restores you to the society of God, and makes you rejoice that he is with you in your inmost soul; that his eye is shining into the recesses of your heart; that it makes you rejoice that he searches you through, and that there is not a thought in your heart which he understands not afar off, and that there is not a word in your tongue which he knoweth not altogether; that there is not a step in your path which he compasseth not about. Observe the effect it had upon David in the very Psalm before us—He cries, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and examine my thoughts." He calls upon God to search him and to know him-he invites him to try him, and to examine his very thoughts. Oh! how many of us are now willing to join in the prayer, Search me, O God. Oh! how many carnal, how many covetous, how many profane, how many vain, how many malignant thoughts would it startle and alarm in many a heart, to call for the light of God's eye to shine into its darkest recesses? How many evil thoughts and spirits of darkness that lay brooding within, would it disturb out of their caverns? and yet if we have the spirit of reconciliation, we shall challenge even the eye that discerns the very thoughts and intents of the heart; for, after all, what is it, but to take God just as he is, to delight in him just as he is; for when a man wishes that God was not the everlasting witness of his thoughts, words, and actions, what is it, but that God was something different from what he is. Now what is this? It is in plain words wishing there was no God, whose very nature it must be to search and try, and to examine and compass your path and your ways. Oh! then what must be the case with those men who attempt to muffle up their hearts from the most High, and who so far from praying that be would search and try, and examine them through and through, dread nothing so much as to sit down and examine themselves, and try what manner of spirit they are of; who would start from God's Word as they would from a serpent, because by showing the holy Law of Almighty God, it would show them what manner of spirit they were of? And when they know that God will judge the secrets, what must become of those men whose lips are full of impurity and blasphemy, wantonness and violence, bitterness and wrath, and who say, Tush, thou God carest not for it, when lo! there is not a word in their mouth but thou, O God, knowest it altogether;"—and when it is "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh;"-and that "for every idle word which men speak, they shall give an account in the day of judgment." What shall become of those men who persecute the poor man and the desolate, and harden their hearts against their poor brethren, as if their cry did not rise into the ears of the Lord?who think there are certain times, and certain places, and certain company in which they may forget God;-who think they may

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leave him without at the threshold while sin is within, and who sit at the board of riot, drunkenness, and debauchery, and fancy that they have found a place where the Holy God is not, when behold! "if they were to ascend up into heaven he is there, if they descend into hell he is there also, and should they even take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, there should his hand lead them, and his right hand should hold them." But all these things which are circumstances of terror to the natural man, become matter of divine support and delight to him who has the spirit of Christ. The very circumstances which are most terrible to the one, are the most delightful to the other. The man of the world will shrink from his presence, and love darkness rather than light, because his deeds are evil; and yet the darkness hideth not from him, but the night shineth as the day." The Christian on the contrary goes wherever he can be found:-In the face of the earth and the blest firmament he marks the traces of his fingers, and joins in the hymn they sing when the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth his handy work:-In his Holy Book he finds the treasures of his love and his mercy, and he cries, "O how great is the sum of them!"He goes into the house where his honor dwelleth, and especially does he rejoice in the company of those who also partake of the same spirit, but most of all in imitating him in whose image he was originally made.

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This then is the great question to every one of us, is this Great Being that is eternally with you, your friend or your enemy? Have you yet learned to find the presence of God delightful? If not, can you live for one day, under the impression that you are haunted by a terrible enemy from whom there is no refuge or escape? Come to him, and come instantly :-Recollect he does not call upon you to come, as if there were no sin within you;-No, but how did David approach him in that very Psalm, "Try me and examine my thoughts: Look well if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

What he wants is, that you should throw your heart open freely to him, such as it is, and surrender it up to his Holy Spirit, willing that he should do with it what he pleases, beseeching him to take away all evil, and to lead you in the way everlasting.

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