God, and God condescends to dwell in man! Behold what manner of love is this! how boldly may we come before God, seeing we have a near kinsman sitting in his council: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes.

DISCOURSE VIII.

RUTH ii. 14.

And Boaz said unto her, At meal time come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left.

HAVING in the former discourse spoken concerning Boaz the husbandman, who so generously entreated this fair and worthy stranger to partake of the bounties of his hospitable table, and found that whatever reflects honour on this distinguished character, is found in a superlative degree in the amiable Jesus. We shall now endeavour to shew what likeness Ruth the Moabitess may bear to the bride, the wife of the Lamb; that Shulamite, in whose mysterious person you behold the company of two contending armies. In describing this favourite damsel, we shall note---Her name---her kindred and former connections ---her late remarkable conduct---and her present deportment.

I. Her name, Ruth, hath been spoken to already as applicable to herself, I shall therefore consider it now as suitable unto every truly converted sinner, every real believer in the blessed Immanuel; for they also may be called watered, according to the signification of her name. It is remarkable how Old Testament names are adapted to personal characters, as if Divine Wisdom, foreseeing the conduct and after circumstances of the party, led to the fixation of the given name. It has been shewed what analogy there is between the name of Ruth, and the providential occurrences which attended her lot: we shall now consider the name as applicable to the child of grace.

(1.) Ruth, made drunken,* as most young converts are with sorrow and affliction. When Paul was convinced of the evil of his way, and found himself to be a real persecutor of Jesus of Nazareth, and in him of the cause of God, of truth, and of holi

• Drunken, the allusion here is to that of Isa. xxix, 9. They are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.

ness, we read that he was three days and three nights without either eating or drinking, so intense was his sorrow and anguish. In ordinary cases it is even so. When the sin of the soul is brought to open light, and actual transgressions lay hold of the conscience; when the whole of the nature and conversation is viewed in the light of the changeless law, that abstract of infinite holiness, and the whole appears vile and abominable; when the awful consequences of a life of rebellion, and utter estrangement from God are discovered, none can tell but those who have felt it, what anguish lays hold on the heart, what tortures the horror of guilt brings upon the alarmed conscience. Sorrow invades the whole soul, and bears down every thinking faculty before it: sorrow for loss sustained; the loss of innocence; the loss of capacity for good; the loss of God and the divine favour; the loss of heaven, and all happiness both here and hereafter; sorrow for danger incurred; danger that makes the heart tremble to reflect upon it; danger of being deprived of the pleasure of every enjoyment in this life, and instead of earthly felicity, to walk under the curse of a broken law; danger of dying an accursed death, and of being everlastingly miserable: miserable with regard to the company dreaded, devils and damned spirits; miserable respecting the place of abode, the lake, the sulphureous lake, which burneth for evermore; and miserable in the keen sensations of growing anguish, when time shall be no more, and when all is unspeakable, immeasurable eternity. This is experience that will make the stoutest heart to give way, and the loftiest look to descend into the dust; that will make the most daring to cry out, Men and brethren, what must we do?' and the obdurate heart breathe, God be merciful to me a sin'ner.' Such state of soul made David roar from the bitterness of his spirit, and water his couch with repentant tears, whilst he cried after mercy in a sovereign way, according to the lovingkindness of his gracious Maker.

(2.) Ruth, watered and filled:' very applicable to believers, who are watered with the heavenly influence of grace, and filled with the fruits of the Holy Ghost. By nature we are dry as the scorched mountains of Gilboa, and barren as the Lybian sands. So wild, so uncultivated, and so unfruitful is degenerate man, that by nature, touching every good work, all are reprobates; yea, even enemies in our hearts by wicked works against God: to whom the language of the natural man is, Depart from me, O Lord, I desire not the knowledge of thy law, I will not have thee to reign over me; for I have loved idols and after them I will go. I will delight in the fatness of my own olive, and rejoice ' in the blood of my own vine. Is not this great Babel that I have built for the house of my kingdom, and for the glory of 'my majesty?' But the time, the set time to favour being come, heavenly influence descends from above and waters the

soul; the Comforter comes down as a spirit of conviction, ploughs up the fallow ground of the heart, and prepares the soul for bringing forth fruits meet for repentance; fills with the spirit of faith, of love, and holiness. It is recorded of Stephen, that he was a man 'full of faith' and of the Holy Ghost. What is true of the greatest of saints, is also in his measure true of every believer.

Full of faith, and could not be shaken, or tempted to swerve from the profession of his faith; stedfast and immoveable, respecting that one thing needful, being determined to know nothing in this world, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. Such is the case of every believer, in his better frames, respecting faith of the operation of God. Likewise, at times, he is so filled with love, that he knows not how to express his grateful sentiments. His cry is, O Lord, how do I love thy law! It is my 'delight all the day long. What shall I do to praise, to honour and glorify my lovely, my adorable Saviour: his mouth is most 'sweet, yea, he is altogether lovely; he is white and ruddy, the 'chief among ten thousand.' Filled with such a sense of his loving kindness, as to be overcome with the transporting pleasures of his presence, that with the spouse you cry out, Stay 'me with flaggons, comfort me with apples, for I am sick of 'love.'

II. Her kindred, and former connections come next under our notice.

A Moabitess, a stranger, the daughter of strangers, whose patriarch was the son of incest, begotten by Lot in a fit of drunkenness on his own daughter, therefore there was nothing respectable in her ancestry. She was by nature of the wild, uncultivated race of idol worshippers, accustomed to bow down to the vanities of the Gentiles, and therefore a child of wrath even as others; afar off from God, and even darkness itself. But these connections were now dissolved; she was plucked off from her native stem, and grafted into the vine of Israel; she was brought nigh by the drawing power of immortal love; out of darkness into the marvellous light of the kingdom of God.

She was not a virgin, but the widow of Mahlon, the son of Elimelech, who died in the land of Moab, before she had any intention of quitting her native country. The spouse of Jesus also was married to a previous husband, the legal covenant, which must be dead to the sinner, and the sinner dead to it, before he can heartily approve of salvation by, and marriage with the Son of God. Mahlon, her former husband, signifies a 'song,' which is answerable to the law in its original constitution, and to man in his primitive purity and holy obedience. When man at first dropped from the Creator's hand, he was like unto all the rest of the divine workmanship, perfect and good, capable of the most consummate conformity to the moral law,

and in every tittle of obeying his Maker's pleasure. Whilst he continued in his primitive rectitude, and spotless obedience, he could rejoice in the works of his own hands, and sing of access to the sacred presence, in virtue of his own performances. He obeyed, and he reaped the fruit of his doings, which fruit was joy and confidence in God. If they have great peace who but love the law, what holy joy, what sacred pleasure must have been the result of perfect obedience to its demands! Whilst the law remained inviolate, it was the song of sinless man; notwithstanding, in his lapsed condition, it is to him the minister of condemnation. Who can reflect on that mutual intercourse between God and Adam before the fall, without admiring the felicity of human innocence, and making the sad comparison between our own state, and that of our great ancestor? The Lord God walked with Adam, and freely deigned to converse with him; yea, Jehovah vouchsafed to consult with man concerning the names of his creatures. But O man! where art thou now? from whence hast thou fallen, O my instable parent? Alas! Adam, dost thou flee from thy Maker's presence, not long ago in thy sight so delightful, so amiable? still dost thou flee? wilt thou never return, Adam? ask not the cause; for sin is born into the human world: moral evil is become perfect, and has ruined primitive integrity. Unhappy parent! what awful ruin hast thou brought upon thy natural descendants. My God! how great is thy forbearance, that still prolongs the existence of self-ruined and rebellious mankind! It would have been equitable and just with thee to have cut them down whilst shuddering in the lonely thicket, and denounced irremediable ruin upon the whole delinquent race. But thou art God, whose purposes are unalterable, and whose loving kindness is not subject to any change whatever: thy counsel stands for ever fast, and thou wilt do all that is in thine own heart.

Mahlon signifies, secondarily, infirmity; which is also answerable to man under a broken law, which law is become weak through the flesh to save any that come unto it. Sin having entered and obtained dominion over man, it disabled him to perform any part of true obedience. This imbecility of man rendered the law incapable to save; as in its original constitution it never could approve of any thing inferior to consummate perfection. It is weak, indeed, in point of the sinner's salvation; but all its weakness comes through the infirmity of our flesh, who by nature have ost the power both to will and to do of his heavenly, his good pleasure. Do you question the truth of this description of fallen man? ask then your own hearts what part of the divine pleasure you can perfectly perform? what branch of practical godliness you can take delight in, before grace is pleased to form your hearts anew? The more you try to search your own hearts, and bring forth to view the

springs of action in yourselves, the more shall you be convinced of the affecting truth, that in man there dwells no good thing,' but that his whole heart is deceitful above all things, and des'perately wicked ;' and that all the imaginations of the thoughts of man's heart are only evil continually,' ever since that awful period on which it might be said, that all flesh had corrupted his way,' and we all as sheep went astray, turning every one 'to his own way.' Bring then the tempers and dispositions of your hearts forth to the trial; forth to be tried by the infallible records of infinite holiness, for by that you must ultimately stand or fall. If weighed in that impartial balance, O my soul! who shall not be found wanting?

By this impartial balance your every action, whether secret or open, must be weighed; it is virtuous, as it agrees with that only unerring standard of virtue and religion; or vicious, as it deviates from its sacred dictates. It was a sense of this that drew forth that remarkable confession from the mouths of the apostolic church, In many things we offend all,' Jam. iii. 2. We saints, believers, quickened by the grace of God; we evangelists, preachers of the gospel, and apostles of Jesus; we offend, all offend, offend in many things; not only in time past, but we now offend, even in our regenerated state. Now, if the apostolic saints, favoured with privileges so exalted, were constrained to make such an humbling confession, would it not be the most daring presumption for sinners, who never felt the power of renewing grace, to flatter themselves that their obedience to the law is perfect? would it not be the most diabolical delusion thus to flatter ourselves, even after conversion, seeing an infallible pen has testified, that if any man say he hath no sin, he deceiveth himself, and the truth is not in him.'

All mankind being thus concluded under sin, and incapable of that which is truly and spiritually good, it follows that the law is weak through the flesh, utterly weak to save any individual of the human race; so that by the works of the law shall no flesh living be justified or saved. The reason of this proposition is obvious in the highest degree. The law having required perfect, universal, and eternal obedience, in the creation state of man, was it now to abate in its demands proportionably to man's incapacity to obey, it would be mutable, and therefore not a transcript of the mind of the Deity. Every deviation from the law being truly and properly sin, it follows that the law would be inconsistent with itself, if it could pass by any, the least sin, without ample atonement being made for its honour: having declared that he who keepeth the whole law, and offendeth but in one point, is deemed guilty of the whole. It would be unworthy of God to say, and not to do; but he hath spoken the word, and who shall disannul it? he is of one mind, and there-fore liable to no mutation.