so sublime and amazing! Besides, it was then so new, that no one in heaven could well understand it. The fruits and effects of the works of those who had slept in Jesus, were but just beginning to follow them. The reaction of their works of faith and labours of love, was only coming into operation on earth and thus only "a kind of its first-fruits" had reached heaven; so that even those who had "turned many unto righteousness," by watching to win souls whilst here, had no idea then of the number of souls they had won by watching. They know better now-and they knew soon after the death of John, that their labour had not been in vain in the Lord : but when the apocalyptic oracle was first given, they were not fit to complete it, either from their own knowledge, or from their own spirit. I mean-they were too much absorbed with a heaven all new to them-with their own personal enjoyment-and especially with the presence of the Lamb slainto think about their relative usefulness on earth. They had sung nothing about their works, and thought nothing about them, in heaven, except to blush for their fewness and imperfections; and, therefore, they said nothing about the fruits which followed, when they cried down from their thrones of light and mansions of glory to John, " Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth." Here they stopped at once. Then, there was silence in heaven! But the eternal Spirit did not let the matter rest here. He carried on and completed the revelation of that blessedness. Having "wrought all their works in them; having "created them anew in Christ Jesus unto good works; and having wrought by them in glorifying Christ on earth, the Holy Spirit would not, did not, conceal the sublime fact, that the works of such working men do follow them into heaven, in their fruits and effects, as surely as their bodies will follow their souls into heaven. This is one good reason for the peculiarity of the oracle. It is not, however, the only one worthy of notice. There is in the church on earth, something of the same spirit which kept the church in heaven silent on the subject of works. I am aware that we have other reasons for saying nothing about our works, than those had whom John saw. Ours are fewer and feebler than theirs. Some, indeed, do nothing arduous or expensive in the service of God, or for the good of mankind. Many only work enough to prove that they are unwilling to work. But such, if they are in the church of Christ, are certainly not of it. On the other hand, however, it is equally true, that in general, the active, the benevolent, and the enterprising, do not allow themselves to take any higher views of their best works, deliberately, than as proofs of faith, love, or sincerity. If their well-doing prove that their faith is unfeigned, they are quite satisfied. Even when they cannot doubt the usefulness of their labours of love, nor hide from themselves the fact, that God has honoured their humble efforts to save some, they are only stirred up to watch the more, lest after having preached to others, they themselves should turn out castaways; lest, in keeping the vineyards of others, their own should be neglected. Yes, it is this, more than the dread of legality or of self-complacency, which makes many a faithful servant afraid to call his service works. He sees clearly in the best of it, so much that is bad in manner and worse in spirit, that he is more ashamed of his good works than Pharisees are of their evil works. "Good" or "faithful servant," is the last name of a Christian, which he thinks of appropriating to himself. He is even more than content, he is grateful, if he can hope to escape the branding name, "wicked and slothful servant." He well understands and approves what one of Whitefield's friends, a devoted minister, said on his death-bed," I have been throwing into one heap all my bad works and my good works, and carrying both to the foot of the cross." Thus it is, that the rewardableness of well-doing has hardly any place in the actuating creed of a real Christian, whatever theoretic credence he may give to it. He may even be_eloquent in speaking of the works of Paul, Luther, Bunyan, Baxter, Whitefield, and Wesley, following them to heaven in forms of good, and as sources of joy, and yet be more than silent in his own case, although quite sure that his own labour has not been in vain in the Lord. This is real humility, as well as modesty. Is it, however, as wise as it is humble; as scriptural as it is modest? Not if Moses was right in having "respect to the recompence of reward?" not if Daniel was right in saying, that they who turn many to righteousness shall" shine as the stars for ever and ever;" not if Paul was right in anticipating his converts, as his crown and joy in the day of the Lord. It will not weaken the force of this argument to add,-not if Whitefield was right in keeping before himself and his fellow-labourers the prospect of presenting many souls before the throne. He "hunted for souls," as well as watched to win souls, because he allowed himself to see-indeed, set himself to study-how the "children" God gave him as seals to his ministry, would increase his blessedness, when he rested from his labours. There are many fine specimens of this inspiring hope, in his letters to the Wesleys, the Tennents, and the Welsh itinerants. "I see you with thousands around you in glory," is a frequent appeal to them. And so distinctly and habitually did he realize this scene, that even when writing against Wesley, he closed his remonstrance by saying,-" When I come to judgment, I will thank you before men and angels for what you have, under God, done for my soul." Even all this, however, does not come up to the full import of "what the Spirit saith unto the churches." His "Yea, their works do follow them," includes more than the immediate fruits of their labour. It embraces also the succession of remote good which their example, labour, and influence, might originate and prolong. And, who can calculate or trace out that? No one understood this arithmetic less than Whitefield. He was all alive to the immediate numbers he could gather into the fold of Christ. He even revelled in the prospect of meeting them on the right hand of the great white throne, and of spending his eternity with them in heaven; but he did not calculate the consequences of their individual or joint influence upon their contemporaries, or even upon their posterity. Indeed, the apostles themselves did not allow their eye to run far along the line of their remote influence. Even they could not "look stedfastly to the END." We can see the names of "the twelve apostles of the Lamb," on the "twelve foundations" of both the earthly and the heavenly Jerusalem; and can trace Paul planting and Apollos watering yet; and can hear all the dead in Christ, still speaking to the living; and thus can understand how their works are still following them, and will continue to follow them until the end of time, and even how they will be their own reward through eternity but the workmen could not foresee all this. It only began to break upon these good and faithful servants, when they entered into the joy of their Lord; and then, they were so absorbed with the presence of their Lord himself, that they could not take their eyes off from Him for a moment, to look at any thing beyond the immediate children they had to present before his throne. : It becomes the church, however, now that she has the means of calculating how her well-doing, in the service of God, can multiply and prolong itself from age to age, as well as spread itself over the world,-to search out diligently, what is "the mind of the Spirit," in His " Yea, the works of the Idead who die in the Lord do follow them." The workmen "rest from their labour;" but their works are kept up, and carried on, and even carried out, as works which they began: and, therefore, all the dead in Christ are personally interested in all the good now doing in the world, and in all the glory which that good is bringing in to God and the Lamb: for those who rest from their labours enter into the joy of their Lord,-which is the many sons He brings to glory. No one is prepared, or preparing, to enter into the real joy of heaven, who is doing nothing to win souls to Christ on earth. No one can die in the Lord, or enter heaven at all, who has no works to follow him there. No wonder! For no Christian is so poor, nor so busy, nor so weak, as to be unable to work for God. The weakest and the poorest are able to do work which neither earth nor hell can destroy or stop, and which will be their reward through eternity. What Christian cannot pray heartily and habitually for the coming of the kingdom of God? Many of the dead in Christ could do nothing else for his glory. That was enough, however, to prepare them to enter into the joy of their Lord; for that connected them with all the grand instrumentality which saves souls. This is too little considered. I am not conscious of being particularly insensible to the natural or the moral sublime; but I frankly confess, that I see and feel more sublimity in a vestry prayer meeting for the spread of the gospel, than in the most splendid meetings in Exeter Hall. I would rather have been one in the first nameless groups, of two or three, who meet together in the name of Christ, to pray in the travail of their souls, that he might "see the travail of His soul and be satisfied," than have been the inventor of the platform. I feel much more sure that prayer meetings will prolong themselves, than that speech meetings will keep their place or their power. Prayer" shall be made for Christ continually;" and those who began its concerts in Britain and America, will never be separated from its continuance. Their work has been following them every year since they died, in new and larger meetings for intercession, and in the answers not only to their own prayers, but to all the prayers which their example has thus called forth. They now see the golden censer of the High Priest waving before the throne with a greater weight of prayer, and emitting a larger cloud of incense, than it did when they first entered heaven. They now see the prayers of all saints setting in, like a spring tide, upon all the channels, coasts, and bays of the divine purposes; here, floating the smaller vessels of prophecy over the bar of time; and there, beginning to heave afloat the largest and the heaviest of the prophetic fleet; and every where rising to the high-water mark of "effectual fervent prayer." Is not this their work following them? This prayerfulness in our times was set in motion by their example, just as their prayerfulness was called forth by the example of the first prayer-meetings at Jerusalem. Now you and I can carry on this good work of intercession and supplication, however little else we can do. We may be both good and faithful servants in this department of labour, and thus be prepared to enter into the joy of our Lord. It is not splendid works alone, that bring glory to Christ, or that follow Christians into heaven in forms of reward. The simple domestic piety of Abraham, Hannah, and Eunice, in training up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, was work which, in its influence, is following them still, and will follow them until the last pious family on earth complete" the whole family in heaven." For, what pious father or mother has not been influenced and encouraged by their example and success? Thus the father of the Faithful, and the mothers of Samuel and Timothy, set in motion a system of parental well-doing, which has never stopped entirely since, and which will work on until the end of time, and through eternity be as visible in its effects as the results of the ministry of reconciliation. O parents! what a work, which would follow you like your shadow, you may do for God, by teaching your children to love the Saviour! For who can calculate along the line of posterity, the spreading influence of one pious family, or even of one pious child? Only think,-how your own family may ramify in the next generation, and how it may blend, age after age, with other families; carrying into them all a sweet savour of Christ, along with your revered memory, until there be actually a little nation of your descendants, rejoicing in the God of their fathers? But neglect your son, or leave your daughter's principles to chance, and you may set in motion a course of ruin which shall never stop, |