shall never be ashamed of his hope This we are com- missioned to declare : and if ten thousand bigoted or self- righteous people should reject it with disdain, we trust that we shall never want some contrite auditors, who shall receive it with gratitude and joy.]
In the sequel, we are informed of,
III. The success he obtained —
[The self-condemned Gentiles heard these tidings with joy ; and vast multitudes of them " glorified the word of the Lord," receiving it as " a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation." On some indeed the effect was only transient ; but as many as were appointed to, and disposed for, eternal life, believedf: they "received the word into an honest and good heart," and " brought forth fruit unto perfection."
This is the effect which we hope to see produced in our ministrations. Despisers we expect to meet with, but we expect to find also many in whom our word shall be the power of God unto salvation. Who then amongst you has his heart, like Lydia's, " opened by the Lord ?" Who amongst you feels the attractions of God's love, and the constraining in- fluences of his grace ? You, we trust, will be the better for the message we deliver : you will become the followers of Christ : you will embrace him, and honour him, and " cleave unto him with full purpose of heart " ]
In the passage we have been considering are two opposite characters, whom it will now be proper to address : 1. Those who reject the Gospel —
[Such characters exist as much among those who call themselves Christians, as among the Jews themselves. Think then what you do: " you judge yourselves," that is, you pass sentence on yourselves as " unworthy of everlasting life." Your want of humility betrays your total unfitness for heaven, or even for the offer of the Gospel salvation. Your contempt of the most stupendous effort of God's love that ever men or angels beheld, betrays the same. If you look into the Scrip- ture, you cannot find any resemblance between yourselves and the saints of old : and, if you could go up to heaven, you would not find one of yo\ir spirit there. Are you then willing to continue in a state, wherein your whole spirit and conduct declares that you are daily ripening for destruction ? O think
f The precise idea contained in the word tcutoH is that of a General marshalling his army, and assigning to every one the post he shall occupy, and the work he shall perform. Believers are thus called and appointed of God.