2. Of what importance is it to obtain an interest in Christ —
[All, except the true Christian, have erroneous views of God: some are led by his majesty or justice to give way to desponding fears : others from a sight of his grace and mercy are induced to cherish presumptuous hopes. It is the Christian alone that sees his majesty tempered with mercy, and his mercy harmonizing with the demands of justice. No man can have this sight of God, till he be put into the clift of the rock. What we said at the beginning, we now repeat, that to all who are not in Christ, God will be a consuming fire. Seek then, my
m Exod. xxxii. 10 — 14 . " Exod. xxxii. 34. ° Exod. xxxiii. 15 P Ps. lxxxi. 10. <i 2 Cor. iv. 6.
Brethren, to be " found in Christ." Then " shall you see the King in his beauty1:" then shall you behold him transfigured, as it were, before your eyess; and have a foretaste of that blessedness which you shall enjoy, when " you shall see him as you are seen, and know him even as you are known1."
r Isai. xxxiii. 16, 17. s Matt. xvii. 1, 2.
1 1 John iii. 2. with 1 Cor. xiii. 12.
Exod. xxxiv. 14. The Lord, zohose name is Jealous, is a
jealous God.
PRACTICAL religion is altogether founded on the character of God. If he were, as many foolishly imagine him to be, " a Being like unto ourselves," a very small measure of duty and service would be all that he could reasonably require. But being a God of infinite majesty, and unbounded mercy, it is not possible to exercise towards him too great a measure of fear and love ; nor can he be too strict in exacting at our hands the utmost that we are able to pay. In this view, the feeling of jealousy, which seems at first sight not to comport well with our notions of the Supreme Being, may very properly be ascribed to him ; and we may justly say, as in our text, " The Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God."
Let us contemplate,
I. The character of God, as here described —
Jealousy does exist in the bosom of Jehovah —
[Jealousy in man is a painful feeling, arising from a suspi- cion that a measure of the regard due to us is transferred to another, who is in no respect entitled to it. And so deep is the wound which it inflicts, especially on a husband who conceives himself to have been dishonoured by his wife, that nothing can ever heal it. " Jealousy," says Solomon, " is the rage of a man : therefore he will not spare in the day of ven- geance : he will not regard any ransom ; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts a." In God, also, does it burn with a most vehement flame : " They have moved me to jealousy," says God ; " and a fire is kindled in mine anger, and
a Prov. vi. 34, 35.