There is one thing not yet noticed in our text, which deserves particular attention, and which will serve us for an Application of the subject to our souls —
" By his faith," and the consequent acceptance of his sacrifice, " Abel, though dead, yet speaketh to us."
1 Gen. iii. 15. >" Heb. ii. 14. " Rev. xiii. 8,
0 Rom. iv. 23, 24. p Heb. xii. 24.
Hear then Abel as now speaking to you from
[' Brethren, though dead, I yet live ; and though I have ' been dead almost six thousand years, I would speak to you ' as though I had died but yesterday. I am concerned that
* you should profit by my experience. You are all assembled ' to worship and serve your God : and you are ready to con-
* ceive, that on that account you are all rendering unto God ' an acceptable service. But I must declare to you that this ' is far from being the case. Your outward forms, considered ' independently of the frame of mind in which you engage in ' them, are of no value in the sight of God. You may " kill ' an ox in sacrifice, and be only as if you slew a man: you ' may sacrifice a lamb, and be as if you cut off a dog's neck: you ' may offer an oblation, and be as if you offered swine's blood :
* you may burn incense, and be no more accepted, than if you
* blessed an idol'i." God looks not at the act, but at the
* heart: and if that be not right with him, your sacrifices,
* how costly soever they may be, are only " an abomination to
* him''." Of all this you may be assured from what is related
* concerning my brother Cain and myself. He, as you have ' been told, was not accepted, whilst I was honoured with ' tokens of God's merciful approbation. What was it that made ' the difference ? Why did God look on me with complacency, ' and with abhorrence on him ? It was because I approached
* him as a sinner, whose hopes were founded solely on the ' sacrifice of his Son, whilst my brother approached him v/ith- ' out any such exercise of repentance and laith. And so it is
* with you. On those who draw nigh to him with a broken
* and contrite spirit, and with their eyes fixed on the Lamb of ' God to take away their sins, he looks with delight : he will ' even give to them sweet tokens of his acceptance, and testi- ' monies of his love : and, if he do not give the same visible ' demonstrations of his love to them, as he did to me, he will ' not leave them without witness even in the minds of their ' enemies : for he will so enrich their souls by his grace, as ' shall make it evident, that God is with them of a truth. But ' on the proud self-righteous formalist he will look with scorn
* and indignation. Yes, to those of you who have come up ' hither merely to perform a duty which custom has prescribed,
* he says, " Ye hypocrites, in vain do ye worship me, seeing ' that, whilst you draw nigh to me with your mouths, and ' honour me with your lips, your hearts are far from me'\" ' I warn you then not to deceive your own souls : for assuredly,
* whether ye will believe it or not, God will ere long make ' the same distinction between you that he did between me
n Isai. Ixvi. 3. ' Prov. xxi. '27. ^ Matt. xv. 7—9.
2318.] Abel's offering instructive to us. 377
' and Cain : the contrite and believing worshippers shall have ' a testimony of his approbation before the whole assembled ' universe ; but the impenitent and unbelieving shall be marked ' out as monuments of his everlasting displeasure. As for you ' who worship him in faith, he may for the present leave you ' in the hands of the ungodly, who from envy may be incensed ' against you ; he may even suffer your " greatest enemies to ' be those of your own household ;" yea, he may leave you ' even to be put to death, and to suffer martyrdom for your ' fidelity to him. But let not that deter you from confessing ' him openly before men. I have never regretted the sufferings ' I endured for him ; nor will you ever regret any thing which ' you may be called to sustain. Even the testimony which you ' shall now enjoy in your own conscience, shall be an ample ' recompence for all : what then shall that testimony in the ' day of judgment be, when he shall say, " Well done, good ' and faithful servants, enter ye into the joy of your Lord ? " * Go on then without fear, and " hold fast the profession of ' your faith without wavering." " Be faithful unto death ; ' and he will give you a crown of life*."'