title: The discourses and essays...
text: ■a • <s -^'lJl^^r^S^^" ■*• ^SJESagf <L '- s i ai c X^^@ 5 ^5 «CTcc «c<C c< c ♦ • c < .?. «,«*3SL. ' '*s«3oS£V^«HM <-<*S «: Mi, i i i vvi i • *■>■- [<_?«_* t ~Jt_.. <r ^ : *Sim ' "«gBa ^5-^K'- ™ c^ 3 ***^^ •CSfc s W& i -fas BSlftS '■ ; k: <rr <$^KT r c. c ' «7»l ■c c c<2ssH £«r*25^ :c<t<cv< ....•«.■« <x^ "■c.c«ssa^«¥ rtrr ic^u^ 2:.. .««s c <5SC« - crc< escrow THE DISCOURSES AID ESSAYS REV. J. H. MERLE D'AUBIGNE, D.D., PRESIDENT OF THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, GENEVA - , AUTHOR OF THE "HIS- TORY OF THE GREAT REFORMATION," &C. INTRODUCTION BY ROBERT BAIRD, D.D TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH BY CHARLES W. BAIRD. L N E W YORK: HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS, 82 CLIFF STREET. 184 6. KR&s" .1%] Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1846, by Harper & Brothers, In the Clerk's Office of the Southern District of New-York. INTRODUCTION. It may not be amiss to give the reader, in a few words, some account of the history and contents of this volume. For several years the desire has been entertained and expressed by many in this country to have a vol- ume in English of such of the occasional Essays and Discourses of Dr. Merle d'Aubigne as are of a general nature ; aod three years ago the subscriber gave assu- rances to the public that the task of selection and trans- lation would be undertaken by him, or under his auspi- ces, at no distant day. But circumstances which it is not necessary to state for a long time prevented the accomplishment of this purpose. He is happy, howev- er, to say that the work has at length been executed, and the result the reader will find in this volume, con- taining seventeen Discourses and Essays. A few of these productions have at one time or an- other been translated into English, and published sepa- rately in England or this country, and some in both, either in small volumes or in pamphlets. But the great- er part are now given to the public for the first time, in an English translation. One of these Discourses and Essays was translated by a niece of the Author, and appeared in the Biblical Re- pository for January, 1845. It is entitled Lutheranism and Calvinism. Another, Geneva and Oxford, was translated by another friend, and was first published in this country in the organ* of one of our religious soci- eties, in 1843. A third, The Study op the History op * Quarterly Paper of the Foreign Evangelical Society. IV INTRODUCTION". Christianity, was translated by the late and greatly-la- mented Thomas S. Grimke, Esq.. of Charleston, S. C. The permission to use it has been kindly granted by the original publisher, and is here gratefully acknowledged. The other fourteen have all been translated expressly for the present volume. And although it does not be- come me to say much about the manner in which the task has been executed, I think that I may safely assure the public that it has been performed with all reasonable fidelity. The meaning of the Author has been consci- entiously given, and, it is believed, with proper ease and clearness of expression. Doubtless, a French idiom, or an approach to one, may be occasionally discovered ; but these things, when they do not render the sense obscure, rather excite the attention and interest of the reader than otherwise, by breaking up the monotony of ordinary style. AH of these Discourses and Essays bear the impress of the same masterly mind which beams forth on every page of the Author's inimitable History of the Great Reformation in the Sixteenth Century. The first six Discourses were delivered to a French church in Hamburg, in Germany. The others were preached at Brussels and Geneva. Of the Essays, all but one were read in the last-named city, at the opening of the ses- sions of the Theological Seminary, of which the Author is the president. The same simple, beautiful, and perfectly philosophi- cal analysis runs through each of these productions. The same clear statement, the same rapid and effective mode of reasoning which characterizes the French mind ; and the same resistless driving onward to a con- elusion which often strikes and surprises us by the sud- denness with which we are brought upon it. The formal and tedious syllogism does not suit the Gallic INTRODUCTION. V mind ; it more befits the Anglo-Saxon, the Norman, and the German. These Discourses are very different from our Amer- ican sermons. No one can read a page of them with- out being struck with this fact. There is a vivacity and point in the style, a condensed and penetrating statement of the leading ideas, a rapid discussion of each topic, and an abrupt dismissal of it, which are unknown to our modes of thinking and writing. This very cir- cumstance will render their perusal profitable, in no or- dinary degree, to those among us whose office it is to preach the Gospel. At the same time, they are such as can not be read without advantage by the layman. As to the Essays, it would be hard to find in any language an equal number that can be compared with them. Take, for instance, those on the Study of the History of Christianity, the nature and tendency of Pu- seyism, # the duty of the Church to confess Christ, Lu- theranism and Calvinism, and The Miracles or two Er- rors. Where shall we find the subjects there treated handled with such ability ? These Discourses and Essays possess one grand characteristic : that of a glorious baptism, if I may so express myself, into the spirit of the Reformation. This spirit pervades them all ; but it is most manifest in the Essays. Of all men of this age, it may be safely said, Dr. Merle d'Aubigne is the most thoroughly imbued with the spirit of the Reformers. In fact, he hardly lives in the present era, though he does move bodily about among the men of our times. Sure I am, his mind, his heart, his whole spiritual man, is, at least, as much con- versant with the events and spirit of the age of the Re- formers as with those of our day. As to the Author, I have been importuned to give * Geneva and Oxford. A2 VI INTRODUCTION. some notice of him in this Introduction. But it is not the place to say more than a few words. Dr. Merle d'Aubigne,* though born in Geneva, is, like many of the inhabitants of that " City of Refuge," of French origin. His great-grand-father, John Louis Merle, emigrated, for the sake of his religion, from Nismes to Geneva, about the epoch of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. His son, Francis Merle, in the year 1743, married Elizabeth d'Aubigne, a daughter of Baron George d'Aubigne, a Protestant nobleman who resided in that city, and who was a descendant of the celebrated Chevalier Theodore Agrippa d'Aubigne, whose memoirs have been recently published in this country ;f a faithful but poorly-rewarded adherent of Henry IV., a decided Protestant, a brave cavalier, a prolific author; the grand-father of Madame de Mainte- non, mistress and w 7 ife of Louis XIV. ; and in his old age was exiled to Geneva for his religion by the un- grateful race for whose elevation to the throne of France he had spent twenty long years and more in the camp. It is from his paternal grand-mother that Dr. Merle de- rives the addition of D'Aubigne to his name. The immediate progenitor of our Author was Aime Robert Merle d'Aubigne, born in 1755. He was the father of three sons, the eldest and the youngest of whom are respectable merchants in our country, one in New- York, the other in New-Orleans. The death of this excellent man was most deplorable ; for he was murdered by the Austrians and Russians, near Zurich, in the autumn of 1799, as he was returning from a com- mercial mission to Constantinople and Vienna. Falling in with these infuriated troops, a day or two after the decisive defeat which the French under Massena had * He received the degree of Doctor in Divinity from the College of ISew Jersey,, in 1838, t Under the title of The Huguenot Captain. INTRODUCTION. Vll given them, he was inhumanly slain. He left a widow, who with faith and courage contended against adversity, brought up well her three sons, gave them all a liberal education in the city of their birth, lived to see them far advanced in their various careers, and died in peace on the 11th of January last, at an age exceeding four score. Dr. Merle d'Aubigne was born in the year 1794; he is therefore in his 52d year at present. He is a tall, erect, fine-looking man, of dark complexion, black eyes, and commanding mien. His health is by no means good ; but his energy is indomitable. He has just pub- lished the fourth volume of his admirable History of the Reformation ; to complete this work will require at least two, if not three or four volumes more. In the autumn of 1817 or 1818, our Author, having completed his studies at the Academy or University of Geneva, went to Berlin, where he spent some time en- gaged in theological and historical pursuits under the guidance of the celebrated Neander, and other distin- guished professors of the University in that city. On his way thither he visited the Castle of Wartburg, near Eisenach ; and while standing in the room in which Luther spent almost a year, as a sort of prisoner, the thought came into his mind to write the History cf the Reformation. That thought soon became a settled pur- pose ; it gave direction to all his subsequent feelings, studies, and aims. From Berlin he went to Hamburg, where he preach- ed for five years and more to a small French Protestant church. It was there he preached and published the first six sermons which are contained in this volume. From Hamburg he removed to Brussels, where he preached to a Protestant church until the Revolution of September, 1830, which severed Belgium from Holland. Vlll INTRODUCTION. As he was a great favorite with the late King of Hol- land, who heard him with much regularity when he came to the Belgian capital of his kingdom, he was not likely to meet with favor from the revolutionary party. In fact, he narrowly escaped death on that occasion. Returning to his native city soon afterward, he took up his abode there, and was appointed President of the new Theological Seminary which was founded by the Ge- neva Evangelical Society in the year following. There he has resided ever since. With these remarks and notices, the volume which they are intended to introduce is commended to the fa- vorable regards of the Christian public. R. Baird. New York, April, 1846. TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. The preparation of the work here presented to the public was announced about two years ago in the trade lists of the publishers. Various causes have hitherto retarded its appearance, but it is believed that through this delay the translation has been improved, and made more worthy of the circulation to which the name of the author of these Discourses and Essays entitles it. Within a few days, a volume containing several dis- courses by Dr. Merle d'Aubigne, and prefaced with a notice of the author by the Rev. Dr. Baird, has been published in this city. As it would naturally be inferred by the public that the book in question was sanctioned by the writer of the foregoing Introduction, the transla- tor thinks proper to state that it has been published without Dr. Baird's knowledge or consent. The notice alluded to is a re-publication of one written by him some years ago, as an introduction to a little book enti- tled " Puseyism Examined," and containing but one of Dr. Merle d'Aubigne's Discourses. Beyond removing the misunderstanding which was likely to result from this fact, the translator does not deem it necessary to do more than allude to this pub- lication, which is mainly composed of discourses which have already appeared either in this country or in Eng- land. The translation of the work herewith given to the public has been authorized by Dr. Merle d'Aubigne, was undertaken for his express advantage, and embra- ces, as the reader has been informed in the Introduction, many Discourses and Essays never before published in English. New York, April,  a Discourse . . .31 III. The Publication op the Gospel : a Discourse . . 51 IV. The Service of Jesus Christ : a Homily . . .67 V. The Duties of Masters to their Households : a Dis- course 84 VI. The Work of Salvation : a Homily .... 102 VII. Of the Character essential to the Theologian, and to Christians in general, in the Present Day : a Discourse 123 VIII. The Church called to confess Jesus Christ : a Dis- course 148 IX. The Confession of the Name of Christ in the Six- teenth and Nineteenth Centuries : a Discourse . 170 X. Lutheranism and Calvinism ; their Diversity  Christianity, and its Usefulness in the Present Day : a Discourse . . 245 XII. Geneva and Oxford : a Discourse 273 XIII. Faith and Knowledge : a Discourse . . " . . 316 XIV. The Voice of the Ancients to the Men of the Nine- teenth Century ; or, Read the Book : an Essay . 335 XV. The Voice of the Church, One, under the successive Forms of Christianity : a Discourse . . . 367 XVI. Family Worship : a Discourse 400 XVII. The Miracles ; or, Two Errors : an Essay . . . 420 DISCOURSES AND ESSAYS, I. EMMANUEL. A DISCOURSE. " Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."— Matt., i., 23. The union of man with God is the great work which true religion was to accomplish. Any religion that has not this object, and that does not provide the means necessary to attain it, thereby becomes useless and vain. This union is not designed to qualify us to reason con- cerning God, to define His nature, to expatiate on all His attributes ; this is not the aim which true religion should have in view, whatever philosophers may think. Neither does it imply the paying of an external homage to the Divine Being ; approaching Him with genuflec- tions, in processions, or through sacrifices ; such is not the aim which true religion should have in view, how- ever the vain superstitions of nations may have repre- sented it. It is not the discovery of certain principles, which may be considered the expression of the Creator's will, nor their presentation as rules of conduct to the creature; this is not the object which true religion should have in view, though it is in this that moralists discern its essence. Some of these things may follow, but it is with something else that we must begin. A greater work must be accomplished — man must be united to God. Of what value is all his learning, his worship, or B t 14 DISCOURSES AND ESSAYS. his morality, while he does not sincerely love Him whom he ought to know, to adore, and to follow ? Man is separated from God : this is one of the fundamental truths of our history ; one of the great.explanatory prin- ciples of our nature ; one of those great facts to which the conscience of every man testifies. In vain is man ignorant of the origin of this fact ; he knows and feels its existence ; and whenever the wants of his soul are awakened, whenever he listens to that secret voice which sometimes speaks to remind him of the primitive nobility of his nature, he sighs for a union the want of which he then knows and feels. As a child is said to be separated from his father when he has revolted against him, has left his house, entertains wrong senti- ments toward him, and delights in doing what he dis- approves : so it must be said that man, in the state in which we know him, is separated from his God. And as such a child should, first of all, be reconciled and re- united to his father : so man should, first of all, be recon- ciled and reunited to his God. There can be no order, no justice, no peace, no happiness, while such a disunion exists. To effect this reunion is the object of Christi- anity. It is the work which God has had in view ; and this day reveals* to us the means wherewith He sees fit to accomplish it. God has come into the world to reconcile us unto Himself. The birth of Jesus Christ is the link which connects that which was separated. On that day, Emmanuel was given to us ; on that day, this oracle of an ancient prophet, repeated by the Evange- list in the words of our text, was fulfilled : " Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." That day was the epoch of the union of man with God. "We will consider with * This discourse was delivered on Christmas. EMMANUEL. 15 you the principle of this union, viz., that God has been with us ; and the consequence of this principle, viz., that we should be with God. Thus, the principle and the consequence, God with us, and we with God, will form the two divisions of this meditation. And Thou, who didst come in the flesh to reconcile unto Thyself the fallen race of man, grant Thy blessing upon the words of our lips ; that, while displaying unto the minds of many what Thou hast done, this day may become for them the day of an everlasting covenant with Thee ! Amen. GOD WITH US. God has been with us ; this, my brethren, is the great truth which we proclaim unto you ; and perhaps it is a truth entirely new to some, who, though they may often have heard it before, have never yet understood it. God has been with us. In uttering these words, we do not make use of figurative language, but we mean sim- ply what we say. God Himself became flesh, and a man like ourselves. The day which we commemorate is that on which the Eternal Being humbled Himself, and appeared among men in the form of a child. Do these assertions seem extraordinary or inadmissible? We have the means of proving them. We have not lightly advanced them ; we can dissipate the smallest doubt in the mind of any one who still respects the in- fallible word of God. In that Jesus of Nazareth, whose birth we commem- orate to-day, and who was crucified thirty-three years later, under Pontius Pilate, dwelt all " the fulness of the 16 DISCOURSES AND ESSAYS. Godhead."* It was not an angel, nor an archangel, nor any creature, who put on human nature in the person of Jesus Christ, but it was God. This, my brethren, is a fundamental and immovable truth, which the word of God displays in all its splendor. We do not wish to accumulate here all the quotations we might make to prove it. One alone might suffice. A few ought to be enough. Consider, then, first, the words of our text ; it were difficult to find any more clear : " They shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." From the Gospel according to Matthew, from which our text is taken, turn, I pray you, to the Gospel according to John, and you will see that it be- gins thus : " In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth."f From the Gospel according to John, turn to the Epistle of Paul to the Romans, and you will read these words : " Whose are the fathers, and of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forev- er.";]; Pass on to the first Epistle to Timothy, and you will find this beautiful testimony : " Without controver- sy, great is the mystery of godliness : God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preach- ed unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory."§ And conclude, if you please, with the first Epistle of John, at the end of which you will read: " We are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life."H Thus, God has been manifested in the flesh ; we can not be- lieve in the word of God without believing in this truth. * Col., ii., 9. t John, i., 3, 14. X Rom., ix., 5. $ 1 Tim., iii., 16. || 1 John, v., 20. EMMANUEL. 17 But can not the very nature of the work which was to be accomplished make us feel beforehand that God Himself would come, and would give to no other being so great a charge ? It was indeed for no work of slight importance that He was manifested in the flesh. It was not to found some sect of philosophy ; it was not to teach some precepts which He could have delivered unto men quite as well through one of His prophets. If He was with us, it was to save the human race which was lost ; to restore life to the dead ; to transport to heaven what had been the prey of hell. That was a greater work than all that had been done till then, and one which required nothing less than the immediate interposition of Divinity. Assuredly, to create beings was a wonderful work ; but to save beings who already existed, and whose lot was everlasting misery, was a still more important and wonderful work. And since God had of Himself executed the work of creation, why should He not of Himself have accomplished that of redemption? Why would He have left to another the glory of saving the world, while He left to no other that of creating it ? Assuredly, to preserve the life of the body, as God does daily by His providence, is a wonderful work ; but to restore the life of the soul to those who had lost it, to make those who were dead unto God live unto Him, was a still more important and wonderful work. And why should not God, who of Himself performs the very smallest work necessary for the preservation of the body which perishes, come Him- self when the spirit, which can not perish, is to be re- stored to life ? Why should He leave the care of these things to one of His servants ? Ah ! that was precisely the work which He was to fulfil Himself; for it was emphatically the work of charity. I could perhaps im- agine that he might have given to others the execution B2 18 DISCOURSES AND ESSAYS. of the work of power at the day of creation ; but He was Himself to accomplish, at the day of redemption, the work of love. He might give to another His power, but not His mercy. And who but God could perform this work ? Who but He sufficed for the things which were to be the foundation of our eternal redemption 1 Sinful creatures were to be placed in possession of felicity and glory. But did the sovereign holiness of Him who weighs in His balance the least iniquity, allow Him thus to raise sinful man ? All the attributes of God must, in all His actions, be entirely satisfied, and fully manifested ; you will find, on reflection, that in this consists all His per- fection. But had He simply, by an act of His power, restored all sinful creatures to eternal happiness, would not this act, instead of displaying His holiness, have cov- ered it with a thick cloud ? He was therefore not con- tent with raising up man, but at the same time He abased Himself; He became like unto a servant, so that the humiliation of Divinity should justify the elevation of humanity, and that the same deed which revealed His mercy should also proclaim His holiness in the eyes of all creation. But if such are the means by which our redemption was to be effected, who but God could ac- complish it? What being, by his abasement, could have justified the elevation of sinful humanity ? Who, by his sufferings, could ever have deserved to receive, as a reward, the salvation of the whole guilty creation ? Who has not yet so much to answer for as to make it impossible for him to enter the lists, to answer for sinful man ? No creature could have come forward for such a purpose. The Everlasting Word alone could do it. He alone was to become flesh. He became flesh. He was with us, and like one of us. He endured all we endure. He dwelt among us, EMMANUEL. 19 full of grace and truth. He was obedient even unto death. And those who were His friends bear witness that they beheld His glory, the glory as of the only-be- gotten of the Father.* God has been with us; and He is yet with us. After having dwelt here below in the flesh, as the Represent- ative of the whole human race, to procure salvation for it, He is now here in the Spirit, as Prince and Pro- tector, to give the possession of that eternal salvation to it. Such is the important meaning of these words : "If, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."f Since Jesus Christ became flesh, God continually stoops down to the most wretched of His creatures. There is now nothing more that can separate God from man ; our very sins can not repel Him ; on the contrary, it is on their account that He came. Nevertheless, great as the position is which this truth occupies in the Christian revelation, we know that it encounters much unbelief in our hearts. We do not deceive ourselves, dear brethren ; we do not suppose that it is sufficient for us to announce this truth from the pulpit, to have you believe it; and as we desire to preach to you not merely for the sake of form, but truly to lead your spirits captive unto the obedience of faith — - as " I say these things, that ye might be saved," J and as we value our words only in proportion to the convic- tion which they may carry with them in your minds* we ask you, What hinders you from believing, with sin- cere and firm faith, without any doubt or restriction, this great principle of our salvation ? Perhaps you may say, We can not understand how God can have become man to save men ; consequently, * John, i, 14. t Rom., v., 10. t John, v., 34. 20 DISCOURSES AND ESSAYS. we can not believe it. You can not believe what you do not understand : this we grant you, my brethren ; but that you can not understand this truth, we deny. On the contrary, we assert that no truth can be clearer to the comprehension. There is certainly one thing that you can not understand ; that is, the manner in which God was united to man in Jesus ; neither can you con- ceive the manner in which your soul is united to your body; yet this is a matter which more immediately con- cerns you. But the word of God does not require your belief in this point. It does not summon you to believe how the thing was done, but only that it was done ; and this the mind of even a child can understand. " The secret things belong unto the Lord our God ; but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children."* The manner in which God was united to Christ is a secret thing ; it does not belong unto us. But that God was really in Christ, is a revealed thing, and the most glorious of all revealed things ; this, therefore, belongs to us and to our children, and nothing can ex- cuse you from believing it. " It is true," you will perhaps reply ; " that God should have become man is, indeed, a clear and evident fact to my mind ; but what a fact ! How can it be consistent with the ideas which I form, and which I ought to form, of the greatness and majesty of God ?" And do you think, then, my dear brother, that the greatness of God is a greatness of ostentation, like that of the powerful of the earth ? And do you think that His majesty con- sists in dwelling constantly in inaccessible palaces of glory, infinitely above the misery of creation ? No ! the greatness of God is a greatness of mercy. And in the fact that God became man, this grandeur is revealed to me with such splendor as I can never describe. It * Deut., xxix., 29. EMMANUEL. 21 is in the ignominy that God endured that I discern all His glory. If all beings had spent all ages in en- deavoring to imagine some action by which God could manifest His love, and, consequently, His greatness to the whole universe, I do not believe they could have discovered any thing to equal this, that He became man to save us. But, at least, when I consider the smallness of this earth, the little space which it fills, the small number of the creatures of God who dwell upon it, in comparison with all those who probably fill the universe, how can I conceive that God, the great God, should have become man for so small a thing ? So small a thing ! Perhaps the salvation of the human race is not of as slight im- portance in the sight of God as it is in yours, my dear brother ! If a single soul is of more value than the whole world, what is the value of all the souls that shall have been saved here below ? So small a thing ! And is any thing small before God ? Is any thing great be- fore Him? Are not all things equally small and great in the eyes of that Being who is infinite ? You think it wonderful that God should have become man for our sakes, and you ask what He must have become for so many other worlds of which you are thinking ? But since you choose to trouble your mind about such things, do you suppose He is not for those other worlds all that it is necessary that He should be for them? Herein consists the greatness and universality of God's providence, that He is unto every one all that He needs to be. He supplies the wants of all beings according to their nature: those of the plants according to theirs; those of creatures endowed with life, but deprived of reason, according to theirs ; for us it was necessary that He should become man, and He became man. " But this is an idea which could never have entered 22 DISC0URSE3 AXD ESSAYS. into our minds ; God really on earth ! God really man! This is far beyond our understanding, and opens a new field to our thoughts." But do you not perceive that it is positively necessary that an entirely new field should be opened to you? Do you suppose that you can pos- sess immortal souls, yet always remain attached to the little things which engage your thoughts through life? Do you not feel that some capital and fruitful truth must open to you the gates of a new system ? Oh ! immortal beings ! that which should astonish is, not that God has appeared in the flesh to raise you up unto Himself, but that you should not feel the need of it ! It is that you should be satisfied with the things which now satisfy you ; it is that you should not rise toward Him who stooped toward you. This, assuredly, is strange ; and this ought to be an almost inconceivable idea. Butif it be true that God came in the flesh, should not all things be changed, in our hearts, as well as in our lives ? Is there any thing on earth that ought to remain the same ? It is true, dear brethren ; all things ought to change ; we feel this, and this is the very cause of our unbelief. We are unwilling that God should come so near to us, because this proximity would require a com- plete regeneration. Jesus Himself declared it in the days when He dwelt in the flesh. He knew our hearts as He knew those of the Israelites who surrounded Him, when He said, " Men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."* But even though such a change be the consequence of God's coming on earth, even though all things must be made new, this truth is nevertheless immovable, and God was nevertheless manifested in the flesh. Far more : this moral revolu- tion which must be the consequence of it, is precisely the most striking proof we can adduce in support of it, * John, iii. ? 19. EMMANUEL. 23 A fable has no such effect. By means of the realities produced by faith in this event, you will recognize the reality of the event itself; falsehood has not been suf- fered to exert such power ; and that which builds up the kingdom of God on earth can not be an imposture proceeding from the gates of hell itself. Thus, beloved brethren, notwithstanding all the sub- tleties of our hearts, God is with us. This is the " great mystery of godliness"* of which St. -Paul speaks ; this is the rock on which the Church of the Redeemer is built.f God is with us; no human sophistry can dis- turb this glorious principle of our faith. No school of philosophers, no society of the learned, no assembly of carnal men, could hinder God from coming into the world. The earth is His property, and He came to visit that property. In vain were the husbandmen unwilling to receive the beloved Son ; in vain would they cast Him out of the vineyard ; He has been there, He is there still, and He will be there yet. No art of human pride can efface the traces of God on earth. He has been with us, " and we testify concerning Him," and we declare it unto all, that all may hear, understand, and believe it WE WITH GOD. But wherefore has He been with us, my brethren ? Wherefore did He leave the eternal mansions of glory ? It can not have been for a small matter that He did it. God has been with you that you might be with Him. Surely He came not hither merely to display His glory before our eyes. If you are not with God, you arrest with a wanton and audacious hand the work which He came to accomplish. * 1 Tim., iii., 16. t Matt,, xvi., 16, 18. 24 DISCOURSES AND ESSAYS. God has been with you. God has been on earth to save you ; you should then attend to this, my dear broth- er; you should be deaf to 'all the voices which have hitherto bewildered you, and, above all, seek to hear what that God who came in the flesh has to say unto you. You should turn away from all that the world lays before you, and direct your first researches to that which God brings you. You should feel the emptiness of all the works and enterprises that men accomplish, and perceive that God has come to accomplish the capi- tal work, the supreme enterprise. In a word, God has been with you ; you should then be on His side, and choose your lot for eternity. A weight which arrests all vacillation has been thrown into the balance ; all hesitation was at an end from the moment that God ap- peared in the flesh. And how could it be otherwise ? The man who comes forward to perform any important work is soon surrounded by men attentive to his actions, who, if they can reap any advantage from it, will aid him in his undertaking. And shall God have come to begin a work in which none will join Him ? Shall He in vain stretch forth His hands all the day long to a re- bellious people? In what, then, are you engaged? What retains you ? God is here ; the world has nothing to oppose to Him. His work is stronger than all others. There is not a seduction in the world, there is not a sophism in your heart which must not fall in its nothing- ness before this simple truth : "God has been manifest- ed in the flesh." With it we force you back into your last retreats; we summon you authoritatively to advance henceforth toward the path of truth and life. It will be the first step of your union with God. But when once you have turned to God, what will you have still to do ? God has been on earth ; you should profit by it in being reconciled with Him. ' It was EMMANUEL. 25 that you might find access unto Him that God became man, and was with us. In heaven, even the angels, not- withstanding their purity, dare not turn their looks to- ward Him. " The seraphim," the Scriptures say, " cover their faces with their wings, and cry, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts."* But here below, the great- est sinner, when he has acknowledged his sin with tears, can come unto Him boldly, as to a friend who has al- ready pardoned him. He has made Himself like one of us. He is willing to treat us as equals. Hasten, then, oh ! sinful men, to take advantage of this opportu- nity ! If you delay, tremble lest you should find noth- ing but inexorable holiness in Him who now offers you mercy beyond all comprehension. Behold ! there is nothing in Him that should terrify your hearts and justify your estrangement. He was born in a stable ; He was laid in a manger ; He did not " strive nor cry ;" He does not break the bruised reed ; He is meek and low- ly of heart ; sinners washed His feet with their tears, and He forgave them ; His whole life was a continual in- vitation to those who were weary and heavy laden. There are no longer any obstacles to keep you far from Him ; there are none save in yourselves, and it is yours to remove them. Oh ! make your peace with Him while He is near unto you. But to unite you with God, it is not enough to be merely reconciled with Him ; you must also give your- selves to Him. It is not to make peace with your rival, but to surrender yourselves to your master. God has come on earth, like the woman seeking the piece of sil- ver she had lost;f her money must be recovered, that she may put it back in her treasury ; to withhold it longer from her would be a sacrilegious theft. God has been with you ; give yourselves back to Him to * Isaiah, vi., 2, 3. t Luke, xvi., 8. c 26 DISCOURSES AND ESSAfS. whom you belong, and who came Himself to seek you, All your weapons should be laid at the feet of Him who has conquered you. Your revolt should have an end. You should indeed be bound by a chain, but a chain which comes from heaven. Had He sent one of His angels to seek you, even then your resistance would have been a crime ; but by what name shall we call it, since it was He Himself who came ? Which of your affections can you hold back from Him who gave Him- self to obtain them ? How shall you dare to appear before His bar in heaven, if you retain on earth that which cost Him so much 1 Wander, then, no longer blindly, constantly changing masters in the world. You have found what you sought. To Him you should belong. 