SERMON XIV.

THE GREAT WORK OF RELIGION.

NEHEMIAH vi. 3.

I HAVE thus far, my friends, been engaged in an attempt to prove, that the work of religion is a great work, if nothing were taken into the consideration but the objects which it proposes, viz: an escape from hell, a preparation for heaven, the glory of God, and the salvation of the world; and all these to be pursued with the most unwearied perseverance, until death shall close all the pains of man's probationary state. I come now to take up another branch of this interesting subject, and as my

IId general division, consider the greatness of the work from the number, the variety, the power and the policy of its opponents. Take the whole circumstances of human life, and there is nothing which is calculated to produce the good of mankind, but it necessarily meets with those who oppose it; some on the one hand, and some on the other; some for ob

vious motives of dislike, and some from hidden motives of interest or policy. The work which Nehemiah had in hand you will not fail to recollect was the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem, and the restoration of the Jewish state, both as to its civil polity and its religious character. If for a moment we consider the opponents with whom he had to contend, we shall lay the foundation of a clearer perception of the main subject which constitutes the theme of our present enlargement.

Nehemiah speaks of three persons who, as heads over the same number of districts, gave him great uneasiness and trouble. The enemies of the Jews were the Ammonites, the Moabites, and the Samaritans. The country of the Ammonites and Moabites lay nearly in an eastern direction from Judea, stretching along the borders of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasse, about three degrees of distance, making, of course, a very troublesome frontier. Samaria, you are aware, was a separate kingdom, set up at the revolt of the ten tribes under Rehoboam in the very heart of Judea, Samaria, the capital, being in that portion which belonged to the half tribe of Manasseh which was on the western side of the river Jordan. At the time of the restoration from the Babylonish captivity, there was a very special reason why these should be enemies to the Jewish state, for besides the bitter hostility which the Ammonites and Moabites held always to the Jews in consequence of their difference in manners and religion, at the time to which the history alludes, there was a still more interested reason. During the captivity of the Jews, the Ammonites and the Moabites had taken possession of the lands which

were nearest to them, and when the Jews returned, they were forced to give them up. There is not often any thing which is more calculated to make a man your enemy than compelling him to give up gains acquired by force or fraud, or to do justice to an injured cause. So of the Samaritans. As early as the time of Cyrus, who gave the first permission to restore and rebuild the temple of Jerusalem, the annual tribute which came into the treasury of the king of Persia from Samaria was assigned for this very purpose; and also to furnish the Jews with sacrifices, that oblations and prayers might be daily offered up for the king and royal family, and for the welfare and prosperity of the Persian empire. This grant was also continued by Cambyses, and afterwards by Darius. This, however, was a matter of such heart burning to the Samaritans, and was, in truth, the source and the original reason of all the oppositions which they made against them; for they thought it an high indignity to be forced to pay their tribute for the benefit of the Jews. During the latter part of the reign of Cyrus, and during the whole of the reign of Cambyses, by dint of bribes to the officers of the government, they, for the most part, got clear of this, to them, unpleasant business. But when the grant was renewed by Darius, the execution of it was so strictly enjoined that it was annually paid till the eighth year of Darius, when, on pretence that the temple was finished, though this was a falsehood, they again refused. The Jews sent a complaint to the king by Zerubbabel, with Mordecai and Ananias, two principal men, and Darius compelled the Samaritans to pay the tribute, which they did, and made no difficulty about it till

the time of Nehemiah, when this Sanballat who is spoken of, was governor of Samaria. Though he was still compelled to pay the tribute, he determined to revenge himself by throwing obstacles in the way of Nehemiah, and hoped to induce him to revolt from Persia, that he might get rid of the tribute altogether. Sanballat is called a Horonite, because he was either a native of a city called Horonain, a city of the Moabites, or more probably a native of a city called Horon, an Arabian city. Tobiah was an Ammonite, and another is spoken of, Geshem, an Arabian, probably some powerful Arab sheik, on friendly terms with these confederate opposers of God's will in relation to Jerusalem.

These historical details will let you into the secret of the opposition of the great work which Nehemiah had in hand-jealousy for the prospect of the rising generation of the Jews, and more particularly the interested motives which have been shown to exist. So far as opposition to the work of God is concerned, the passions and the interests of unconverted men are the prominent opponents. You will find an illustration of these remarks as I pursue the subject of my second general division-the opponents to the great work of religion. I intend, however, to pursue this subject largely, for it is not only of interest, but extreme importance.

Who are then opponents? 1. The devil. 2. The flesh. 3. The world. 4. The ridicule of foes. 5. The errors, the worldliness, and the enticements of professed friends. And I shall have more than enough for the present discourse, and quite enough to convince you that the work is a great

one.

1. The first and leading opponent of the work of religion is the devil.

Perhaps, my friends, there is no subject of theology which involves difficulties of a more subtle character than the existence and the influence of that certain order of intelligences which are by us termed angels. The word angel, in its proper signification, does not import the nature of any beings, but only the office to which they are appointed, especially in the way of intercourse or message between God and his creatures. The term, angel, as applied to this higher order of intelligences, mean certain paramount subsistences, invisible and imperceptible to our senses, endowed with understanding and power superior to that of human nature, created by God and subject to him as the supreme being, and ministering to his divine providence in the government of the world. Whatever difficulties may rest upon the subject, it is unquestionably a truth of Scripture as clearly and distinctly revealed as any truth which can be mentioned. It may not be one of those essential doctrines of the Scripture, the belief of which is necessarily connected with our salvation, but I am fully persuaded that it cannot be doubted by a single candid individual who is not willing to give up his belief in the Scriptures as of divine authority. It does not enter into the plan of my present discourse to go into a proof of this doctrine. It appears to me impossible to question the fact, that the existence and agency of this superior order of intelligences pervades the Bible from its commencement to its termination, and must be received by every individual who ever hopes to gain an intelligible idea of the whole economy of the Scriptures.