2 Tim. ii. 1. My son, he strong in the grace that is in Christ
Jesus.
HOW shall it be that all of us, who are assembled here this day, should ever get to heaven, so weak as we are, and so corrupt, and in the midst of so many and great dangers ? I look back to the Apostle's days ; and find, that when he was in prison at Rome, " all the converts that were of Asia, turned away from him ;" but that one pious man, " Onesi-
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phorus, sought him out with great diligence," to re- lieve his necessities, and to comfort his soul^ Now, if reduced to such straits as the Apostle Paul was, for the Gospel's sake, how should we hope to stand ? How should we avoid the apostasy of the many, and retain the fidelity of the few ? This instruction the Apostle gives to his beloved Timothy : " Thou, there- fore, my son, (seeing how hard it is to stand in times of severe trial,) be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus:" that is, 'know that there is grace treasured up for thee in Christ : and, in dependence upon that, thou shalt be able to sustain all the trials tliat shall come upon thee.'
To elucidate these words, I will shew,
I. What a fulness of grace there is treasured up for us in Christ —
But how can I present this to your minds in any intelligible shape ? Methinks it can be done only in a way of illustration. Take, then, some scriptural illustrations; by means of which you may apprehend, in some considerable degree, the mysterious truth which I wish to submit to you.
Consider Christ, then,
1. As a Vine —
[This is our Lord's own suggestion : " I am the Vine ; ye are the branches''." Now we know, that every branch derives all its sap and nourishment from the vine ; and that, if sepa- rated from the vine, it can bring forth no fruit whatever. This, then, will convey a very just idea of the connexion that subsists between Christ and his people ; and of their entire
dependence on him for every fresh supply of grace —
But an husbandman prunes the luxuriant branches of his vine ; lest the sap being too widely diffused, its influence be weakened, and its fructifying power be abridged. In this, therefore, the image altogether fails : and we must look for one more suitable, by regarding Christ,]
2. As a Sun —
[This supplies the whole universe with light : and every individual of mankind, when exposed to its rays, enjoys as
» 2 Tim. i. 15—18. » John xv. 5.